Patent US3863426A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3863426A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Disc transfer devices to petri dishes
Assignee: Bpifrance Financement SA
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Filing: 1973-05-25
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Granted: 1975-02-04
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Expires: 1993-05-25
Abstract
Abstract A disc transfer device for loading a Petri dish. The transfer device includes a plurality of storage tubes with stacks of discs of blotting paper which are, for example, impregnated with an antibiotic to be evaluated. A transfer plate displaces the discs at the bottom of their respective stacks to ejection locations in alignment with ejection passageways which have diameters slightly less than that of the discs thereby preventing the free fall of the discs onto the gelose medium. A control shaft is rotatable for displacing the transfer plate from its disc receiving position to its ejection position and slidably movable perpendicular to the receiving surface for descending plungers which drive the discs to the receiving surface. All the discs are brought into contact with the germ seeded gelose medium in the Petri dish with exactly the same contact pressure, reproductible from cycle to cycle, this pressure being determined by the mass of the plungers. The Petri box is provided with various indicia including intersecting perpendicular lines on its outer bottom wall for aiding the determination of the germ inhibiting zone measured by the discs in position at the intersections.
Inventors
- 👤 Patrice Marie Denis Courvalin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 02:44
CPC Classifications
C; C12; C12M; C12M99/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
A transfer device for depositing discs on a receiving surface, comprising a casing having a bottom particularly adapted to face the receiving surface, a plurality of tubes mounted in the casing for storing stacks of discs, an ejection passageway in said casing laterally adjacent each stack, transfer means for transferring the disc at the bottom of each stack laterally to an ejection position in alignment with a corresponding one of said ejection passageways, a plurality of plungers arranged in alignment with said ejection passageways for sliding movement perpendicular to the bottom of the casing towards the receiving surface for driving the discs from their ejection position through said passageways onto the receiving surface and single control means for sequentially actuating said transfer means and said plunger.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
126 words
A transfer device for depositing discs on a receiving surface, comprising a casing having a bottom particularly adapted to face the receiving surface, a plurality of tubes mounted in the casing for storing stacks of discs, an ejection passageway in said casing laterally adjacent each stack, transfer means for transferring the disc at the bottom of each stack laterally to an ejection position in alignment with a corresponding one of said ejection passageways, a plurality of plungers arranged in alignment with said ejection passageways for sliding movement perpendicular to the bottom of the casing towards the receiving surface for driving the discs from their ejection position through said passageways onto the receiving surface and single control means for sequentially actuating said transfer means and said plunger.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
63 words
A transfer device according to claim 1, together with a platen carrying said plungers for simultaneous movement, and means individually mounting each plunger on said platen for freedom of movement relative to said platen in a direction away from the bottom of the casing wherein the weight of each plunger defines the pressure with which each disc is applied against the receiving surface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
51 words
A transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the cross section of the ejection passageways is smaller than the cross section of the discs for which said tubes are intended to hold so as to prevent the free fall of the intended discs from their ejection position to the receiving Surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
A transfer device according to claim 3, wherein the largest lateral dimension of the intended discs exceeds the largest lateral dimension of the ejection passageways by 0.05 mm.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
A transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the bottom of the casing is adapted to cooperate with the side wall of a Petri dish to accurately position said ejection passageways relative to the Petri dish, the bottom wall of the Petri dish constituting the said receiving surface.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
52 words
A transfer device according to claim 5, further comprising a network of perpendicular lines parallel to the walls of the dish and equidistant from one another, the intersections of said perpendicular lines defining the centers of both said ejection passageways and the points of application of the discs on the receiving surface.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
47 words
A transfer device according to claim 1, wherein said single control means includes a platen supporting all of said plungers for simultaneous movement and a control shaft, means mounting said control shaft for rotational movement relative to said platen and for conjoint axial movement with said platen.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
57 words
A transfer device according to claim 7, wherein the rotational movement of the control shaft effects the displacement of the transfer means between its disc receiving position and the ejection position; and wherein the conjoint sliding movement of the control shaft effects in the downward direction the driving of the discs into contact with the receiving surface.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
39 words
A transfer device according to claim 8, wherein means are provided to prevent the conjoint sliding movement of the platen with the control shaft until the control shaft has been rotated to bring the discs to their ejection position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
49 words
A transfer device according to claim 8, wherein the transfer means comprises a transfer plate, and further comprising retractable abutment means associated with the transfer plate for preventing its return to its disc receiving position until the discs brought to their ejection position are driven to the receiving surface.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
160 words
A transfer device for depositing discs on a receiving surface, comprising a casing having a bottom particularly adapted to face the receiving surface, a plurality of tubes mounted in the casing for storing stacks of discs, an ejection passageway in said casing laterally adjacent each stack, transfer means for transferring the disc at the bottom of each stack laterally to an ejection position in alignment with a corresponding one of said ejection passageways, a plurality of plungers arranged in alignment with said ejection passageways for sliding movement perpendicular to the bottom of the casing towards the receiving surface for driving the discs from their ejection position through said passageways onto the receiving surface, each plunger including a rod for sliding movement in its associated ejection passageway and a head, a platen including a plurality of cylinders defined therein, and each plunger head being mounted for sliding movement in an associated cylinder which determines the path of movement of the plunger.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
160 words
A transfer device for depositing discs on a receiving surface, comprising a casing having a bottom particularly adapted to face the receiving surface, a plurality of tubes mounted in the casing for storing stacks of discs, an ejection passageway in said casing laterally adjacent each stack, transfer means for transferring the disc at the bottom of each stack laterally to an ejection position in alignment with a corresponding one of said ejection passageways, a plurality of plungers arranged in alignment with said ejection passageways for sliding movement perpendicular to the bottom of the casing towards the receiving surface for driving the discs from their ejection position through said passageways onto the receiving surface, each plunger including a rod for sliding movement in its associated ejection passageway and a head, a platen including a plurality of cylinders defined therein, and each plunger head being mounted for sliding movement in an associated cylinder which determines the path of movement of the plunger.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
31 words
A transfer device according to claim 11, further comprising a control shaft, said control shaft being mounted for rotational movement relative to the platen and conjoint axial movement with said platen.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
57 words
A transfer device according to claim 12, wherein the rotational movement of the control shaft effects the displacement of the transfer means between its disc receiving position and the ejection position; and wherein the conjoint sliding movement of the control shaft effects in the downward direction the driving of the discs into contact with the receiving surface.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
39 words
A transfer device according to claim 13, wherein means are provided to prevent the conjoint sliding movement of the platen with the control shaft until the control shaft has been rotated to bring the discs to their ejection position.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
49 words
A transfer device according to claim 13, wherein the transfer means comprises a transFer plate, and further comprising retractable abutment means associated with the transfer plate for preventing its return to its disc receiving position until the discs brought to their ejection position are driven to the receiving surface.
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) | 1978-02-03 | 1978-08-05 | 1979-02-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-02-03 | 1982-08-05 | 1983-02-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-02-03 | 1986-08-05 | 1987-02-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |