Method for rapid harvesting of roller culture supernatant fluid

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF OPERATING A ROLLER TISSUE CULTURE APPARATUS OF THE TYPE HAVING A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL DRIVE AND IDLER ROLLE RS ON WHICH A PLURALITY OF ROLLER CULTURE BOTTLES ARE ROTATED DURING CELL GROWTH AND WHICH PERMITS SUPERNATANT FLUIDS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE BOTTLES AND FRESH NUTRIENT FLUID ADDED ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS, COMPRISING THE STEPS, UNDER AUTOMATIC PROGRAMMED CONTROL OF: A. PERIODICALLY INTERRUPTING THE NORMAL ROTATION OF THE BOTTLES ON THE ROLLERS, B. DURING SUCH INTERRUPTIONS AND WHILE LEAVING ALL OF THE MOUTH ENDS OF THE BOTTLES POSITIONED ON THE ROLLERS, ENGAGING ALL OF THE REAR ENDS OF THE BOTTLES WITH MECHANICAL POSITIONING MEANS AND GRADUALLY TILTING ALL OF THE BOTTLES WITH SUCH POSITIONING MEANS TO AN ACUTE ANGLE OF TILT SUFFICIENT TO ALLOW THE SUPERNATANT FLUID IN EACH BOTTLE TO GRADUALLY FLOW TO THE RESPECTIVE LOWEST POINT WITHIN THE MOUTH END OF THE TILTED BOTTLE AND THERE COLLECT PROXIMATE AN OPEN END OF AN EFFLUENT LINE PROXIMATE SUCH POINT, C. WHILE HOLDING THE BOTTLES SO TILTED, REMOVING THE SUPERNATANT FLUID ESSENTIALLY COMPLETELY FROM EACH OF THE BOTTLES THROUGH SUCH EFFLUENT LINES BY PUMPING, D. GRADUALLY LOWERING ALL OF THE BOTTLES WITH SAID POSITIONING MEANS UNTIL THEY ASSUME THE SAME RESPECTIVE POSITIONS ON SAID ROLLERS AS WERE OCCUPIED PRIOR TO BEING TILTED, E. DISENGAGING SAID POSITIONING MEANS FROM CONTACT WITH SAID BOTTLE REAR ENDS, F. AT A SELECTED TIME AFTER THE SUPERNATANT FLUID HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE BOTTLES AND PRIOR TO RESUMING THEIR NORMAL ROTATION ON THE ROLLERS FEEDING A NEW SUPPLY OFF NUTRIENT FLUID INTO THE BOTTLES THROUGH AN INFLUENT LINE, AND G. RESUMING THE NORMAL ROTATION OF THE BOTTLES UNTIL THE BOTTLE ROTATION IS AGAIN INTERRUPTED FOR THE PURPOSE OF REPEATING THE CYCLE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF OPERATING A ROLLER TISSUE CULTURE APPARATUS OF THE TYPE HAVING A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL DRIVE AND IDLER ROLLE RS ON WHICH A PLURALITY OF ROLLER CULTURE BOTTLES ARE ROTATED DURING CELL GROWTH AND WHICH PERMITS SUPERNATANT FLUIDS TO BE REMOVED FROM THE BOTTLES AND FRESH NUTRIENT FLUID ADDED ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS, COMPRISING THE STEPS, UNDER AUTOMATIC PROGRAMMED CONTROL OF: A. PERIODICALLY INTERRUPTING THE NORMAL ROTATION OF THE BOTTLES ON THE ROLLERS, B. DURING SUCH INTERRUPTIONS AND WHILE LEAVING ALL OF THE MOUTH ENDS OF THE BOTTLES POSITIONED ON THE ROLLERS, ENGAGING ALL OF THE REAR ENDS OF THE BOTTLES WITH MECHANICAL POSITIONING MEANS AND GRADUALLY TILTING ALL OF THE BOTTLES WITH SUCH POSITIONING MEANS TO AN ACUTE ANGLE OF TILT SUFFICIENT TO ALLOW THE SUPERNATANT FLUID IN EACH BOTTLE TO GRADUALLY FLOW TO THE RESPECTIVE LOWEST POINT WITHIN THE MOUTH END OF THE TILTED BOTTLE AND THERE COLLECT PROXIMATE AN OPEN END OF AN EFFLUENT LINE PROXIMATE SUCH POINT, C. WHILE HOLDING THE BOTTLES SO TILTED, REMOVING THE SUPERNATANT FLUID ESSENTIALLY COMPLETELY FROM EACH OF THE BOTTLES THROUGH SUCH EFFLUENT LINES BY PUMPING, D. GRADUALLY LOWERING ALL OF THE BOTTLES WITH SAID POSITIONING MEANS UNTIL THEY ASSUME THE SAME RESPECTIVE POSITIONS ON SAID ROLLERS AS WERE OCCUPIED PRIOR TO BEING TILTED, E. DISENGAGING SAID POSITIONING MEANS FROM CONTACT WITH SAID BOTTLE REAR ENDS, F. AT A SELECTED TIME AFTER THE SUPERNATANT FLUID HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE BOTTLES AND PRIOR TO RESUMING THEIR NORMAL ROTATION ON THE ROLLERS FEEDING A NEW SUPPLY OFF NUTRIENT FLUID INTO THE BOTTLES THROUGH AN INFLUENT LINE, AND G. RESUMING THE NORMAL ROTATION OF THE BOTTLES UNTIL THE BOTTLE ROTATION IS AGAIN INTERRUPTED FOR THE PURPOSE OF REPEATING THE CYCLE.

Claim 6

The method of operating a roller tissue culture apparatus of the type having a plurality of parallel drive and idler rollers on which a plurality of roller culture bottles are rotated during cell growth and which permits supernatant fluids to be removed from the bottles and fresh nutriEnt fluid added on an intermittent basis, comprising the steps, under automatic programmed control of: a. periodically interrupting the normal rotation of the bottles on the rollers by completely stopping such rotation; b. during such interruptions and while leaving all of the mouth ends of the bottles positioned on the rollers, engaging all of the rear ends of the bottles with mechanical positioning means and gradually tilting all of the bottles with such positioning means to an acute angle of tilt sufficient to allow the supernatant fluid in each bottle to gradually flow to the respective lowest point within the mouth end of the tilted bottle and there collect proximate an open end of an effluent line proximate such point; c. while holding the bottles so tilted, removing the supernatant fluid essentially completely from each of the bottles through such effluent lines by pumping; d. at a selected time after the supernatant fluid has been removed from the bottles and while in said tilted position feeding a new supply of nutrient fluid into the bottles through an influent line; e. gradually lowering all of the bottles with said positioning means until they assume the same respective positions on said rollers as were occupied prior to being tilted; f. disengaging said positioning means from contact with said bottle rear ends; and g. resuming the normal rotation of the bottles until the bottle rotation is again interrupted for the purpose of repeating the cycle.

Claim 7

The method of operating a roller tissue culture apparatus of the type having a plurality of parallel drive and idler rollers on which a plurality of roller culture bottles are rotated during cell growth and which permits supernatant fluids to be removed from the bottles and fresh nutriEnt fluid added on an intermittent basis, comprising the steps, under automatic programmed control of: a. periodically interrupting the normal rotation of the bottles on the rollers by completely stopping such rotation; b. during such interruptions and while leaving all of the mouth ends of the bottles positioned on the rollers, engaging all of the rear ends of the bottles with mechanical positioning means and gradually tilting all of the bottles with such positioning means to an acute angle of tilt sufficient to allow the supernatant fluid in each bottle to gradually flow to the respective lowest point within the mouth end of the tilted bottle and there collect proximate an open end of an effluent line proximate such point; c. while holding the bottles so tilted, removing the supernatant fluid essentially completely from each of the bottles through such effluent lines by pumping; d. at a selected time after the supernatant fluid has been removed from the bottles and while in said tilted position feeding a new supply of nutrient fluid into the bottles through an influent line; e. gradually lowering all of the bottles with said positioning means until they assume the same respective positions on said rollers as were occupied prior to being tilted; f. disengaging said positioning means from contact with said bottle rear ends; and g. resuming the normal rotation of the bottles until the bottle rotation is again interrupted for the purpose of repeating the cycle.