Microbial surface sampler

Claim 2

A surfacE sampler device for use with surface sampler discs having surface sampling material positioned on one side thereof comprising housing means having an aperture therethrough dimensioned to permit the passage of a disc therethrough; cartridge means for holding a plurality of said discs mounted on said housing; plunger means mounted in said housing in registration with said aperture; means mounted on said housing for selectively and sequentially feeding each of said discs from said cartridge means into registration with said aperture; and means in said housing for selectively actuating said plunger means to engage said disc through said aperture and to engage the surface sampling material thereof against the surface to be sampled.

Claim 3

A surface sampler device as recited in claim 1, wherein said surface sampler discs are formed with an aperture in said one side thereof, said surface sampling material being normally recessed in said aperture in said discs, said discs including means for projecting said surface sampling material through said aperture in said discs in response to pressure applied to the side of said discs opposed to said one side thereof; said plunger means being positioned and dimensioned for applying pressure to said other side of said discs to project and engage said surface sampling material against said surface.

Claim 4

A surface sampler device as recited in claim 1, wherein said surface sampler disc includes a material of high magnetic permeability, said plunger means including magnet means for cooperation with said material of high permeability for retaining the surface sampler disc in registration with said plunger means in contact therewith.

Claim 5

A surface sampler device as recited in claim 3, wherein said plunger means includes a central plunger and an outer plunger, said outer plunger including said magnet means, said means for displacing said plunger means being adapted for the selective operative displacement of either said central plunger alone, or the combination of said central plunger and said outer plunger, whereby said surface sampling disc is retained against said outer plunger after operative displacement of the combination of said outer and central plungers.

Claim 6

A surface sampler device as recited in claim 1, wherein said cartridge means includes container means for carrying a stack of said discs, said container means having an opening at at least one end thereof dimensioned to permit the passage of said discs therethrough; and means for biasing said stack of discs toward said opening; said means for feeding said discs including a slide member slidably mounted in said housing and formed with an aperture therethrough dimensioned to receive one of said discs, said slide member being of a thickness substantially equal to the thickness of one of said discs, said feeding means including means for selectively and sequentially displacing said slide member between a first position at which the aperture therethrough is in registration with the opening in said container means for receiving a disc from said stack and a second position in registration with said aperture in said housing and said plunger means.

Claim 7

A surface sampler device as recited in claim 5, wherein said means for displacing said slide member includes a manually pivotable handle mounted on said housing and means mounted on said housing operatively coupling said slide member and said handle for the displacement of said slide member in response to the manual pivoting of said handle.

Claim 8

A surface sampler device as recited in claim 6, wherein said means for displacing said plunger means includes a finger grip bar pivotably mounted on said handle for manual pivotable displacement toward and away from said handle, said finger grip bar including a projecting finger operatively coupled to said plunger means for displacing said plunger means in response to the pivoting of said finger grip bar.

Claim 9

A surface sampler device as recited in claim 1, wherein said plunger means includes spring means for biasing said plunger means in a position spaced from said aperture in said housing for returning said plunger means to said spaced position after displacement thereof by said means for displacing said plunger means.

Claim 10

A transfer device for use with surface sampler discs having surface sampling material positioned on one side thereof and including material of a high magnetic permeability, comprising housing means having a central aperture therethrough; magnet means mounted on said housing means in the region of one opening of said aperture; and plunger means mounted within said aperture in said housing means for manual selective displacement between a first position recessed within said aperture from said magnet means and a second position projecting through said aperture opening beyond said magnet means, whereby said transfer device may pick up one of said surface sampler discs when said plunger means is in said first position and said disc may be released when said plunger means is operatively displaced from said first to said second position.

Claim 11

A transfer device for use with surface sampler discs having surface sampling material positioned on one side thereof and including material of a high magnetic permeability, comprising housing means having a central aperture therethrough; magnet means mounted on said housing means in the region of one opening of said aperture; and plunger means mounted within said aperture in said housing means for manual selective displacement between a first position recessed within said aperture from said magnet means and a second position projecting through said aperture opening beyond said magnet means, whereby said transfer device may pick up one of said surface sampler discs when said plunger means is in said first position and said disc may be released when said plunger means is operatively displaced from said first to said second position.

Claim 12

A transfer device as recited in claim 9, including spring means for normally biasing said plunger means in said first position.

Claim 13

A transfer device as recited in claim 10, wherein said housing means is formed with laterally projecting flange means for resting on the upstanding walls of a culture plate means, said flanges being spaced from the side of said housing through which said aperture opening extends a distance such that when engaged against said upstanding wall, the surface sampling material engages culture medium within said culture plate means.

Claim 14

A surface sampler disc comprising a housing formed with a central chamber and openings in opposed sides thereof providing access to said central chamber; surface sampling material mounted within said chamber adjacent a first of said openings; and means mounted within said chamber and displaceable between a first position spaced from said first aperture and a second position at which said surface sampling material is projected through said first aperture in response to pressure applied to said means through the second of said apertures, said displaceable means including Belleville spring means mounted within said housing and disposed with its concave curvature facing said first aperture said Belleville spring means being adapted for flexing in response to pressure applied thereto through said second aperture to flex so that the convex curvature thereof faces said first aperture.

Claim 15

A surface sampler disc comprising a housing formed with a central chamber and openings in opposed sides thereof providing access to said central chamber; surface sampling material mounted within said chamber adjacent a first of said openings; and means mounted within said chamber and displaceable between a first position spaced from said first aperture and a second position at which said surface sampling material is projected through said first aperture in response to pressure applied to said means through the second of said apertures, said displaceable means including Belleville spring means mounted within said housing and disposed with its concave curvature facing said first aperture said Belleville spring means being adapted for flexing in response to pressure applied thereto through said second aperture to flex so that the convex curvature thereof faces said first aperture.

Claim 16

A surface sampler disc as recited in claim 12, wherein said displaceable means includes a plunger member formed with a central projecting portion intermediate said surface sampling material and said spring means facing said first aperture.

Claim 17

A surface sampler disc as recited in claim 12, and including material of a high magnetic permeability.

Claim 18

A culture plate for use with a surface sampler disc having surface material positioned for projection through an aperture therein, comprising a base portion having a plurality of spaced wells formed therein, each of said wells having a bottom wall, and each of said wells being dimensioned to receive one of said discs, each of said wells being formed with a further well of smaller lateral dimension in the bottom surface thereof, said lateral dimension of said further well being selected to receive at least a portion of said projecting surface sampling material while permitting said surface sampling disc to rest on the bottom well of said first mentioned well; and culture medium received within said further well for engagement by the surface sampling material of a disc positioned within said first-mentioned well.

Claim 19

A culture plate for use with a surface sampler disc having surface material positioned for projection through an aperture therein, comprising a base portion having a plurality of spaced wells formed therein, each of said wells having a bottom wall, and each of said wells being dimensioned to receive one of said discs, each of said wells being formed with a further well of smaller lateral dimension in the bottom surface thereof, said lateral dimension of said further well being selected to receive at least a portion of said projecting surface sampling material while permitting said surface sampling disc to rest on the bottom well of said first mentioned well; and culture medium received within said further well for engagement by the surface sampling material of a disc positioned within said first-mentioned well.

Claim 20

A surface sampler system comprising surface sampler disc means including disc housing means having an aperture in one side thereof, and surface sampling material positioned within said housing adjacent said disc housing aperture; and surface sampler device means including device housing means having an aperturE therethrough dimensioned to permit the passage of a disc therethrough, cartridge means for holding a plurality of said discs mounted on said device housing, plunger means mounted in said device housing in registration with said device housing aperture; means mounted on said device housing to selectively and sequentially feed each of said discs from said cartridge means into registration with said device housing aperture, and means in said device housing for selectively actuating said plunger means to engage said disc through said device housing aperture and to engage the surface sampling material against the surface to be sampled.

Claim 21

A surface sampler system comprising surface sampler disc means including disc housing means having an aperture in one side thereof, and surface sampling material positioned within said housing adjacent said disc housing aperture; and surface sampler device means including device housing means having an aperturE therethrough dimensioned to permit the passage of a disc therethrough, cartridge means for holding a plurality of said discs mounted on said device housing, plunger means mounted in said device housing in registration with said device housing aperture; means mounted on said device housing to selectively and sequentially feed each of said discs from said cartridge means into registration with said device housing aperture, and means in said device housing for selectively actuating said plunger means to engage said disc through said device housing aperture and to engage the surface sampling material against the surface to be sampled.

Claim 22

A surface sampling system as recited in claim 1, wherein said surface sampler disc includes a material of high magnetic permeability, said plunger means including magnet means for cooperation with said material of high magnetic permeability for retaining the surface sampler disc in registration with said plunger means in contact therewith.

Claim 23

A surface sampler system as recited in claim 17, wherein said plunger means includes a central plunger dimensioned and positioned to apply the pressure required for projecting said surface sampling material through said disc and an outer plunger including said magnet means, said means for displacing said plunger means adapted for the selective operative displacement of either said central plunger alone, or the combination of said central plunger and said outer plunger, whereby said surface sampling disc is retained against said outer plunger after operative displacement of the combination of said outer and central plungers.

Claim 24

A surface sampler system as recited in claim 18, including transfer device means having housing means formed with a central aperture therethrough, further magnet means mounted on said transfer device housing means in the region of one opening of said aperture, and plunger means mounted within said transfer device housing aperture for manual selective displacement between a first position recessed within said aperture from said magnet means and a second position projecting through said aperture opening beyond said permanent magnet means, whereby said transfer device may pick up one of said surface sampler discs when said plunger is in said first position and said disc may be released when said plunger means is operatively displaced from said first to said second position.

Claim 25

A surface sampler system as recited in claim 19, including culture plate means formed with a pair of spaced upstanding walls and including culture medium received between said walls, said transfer device housing being formed with laterally extending flanges spaced from the side of said housing through which said aperture opening extends such that when said flanges rest on said pair of upstanding walls of said culture plate, only the projecting surface sampling material of a disc engaged against said further permanent magnet means engages against said culture medium.

Claim 26

A surface sampling system as recited in claim 20, wherein marking means are provided on at least one of said upstanding walls of said culture plate for identifying discrete positions for the selective placement of said transfer device.

Claim 27

A surface sampling system as recited in claim 16, and including culture plate means having a base portion formed with a plurality of spaced wells therein, each of said wells being dimensioned to receive one of said surface sampler disc means and having a bottom wall, each of said wells being formed with a further well in the respective bottom wall thereof of smaller lateral dimension, said lateral dimension being selected so that at least a portion of the projecting surface sampling material projects therein; and culture medium received within each of said further wells for engagement by said projecting surface sampling material.

Claim 28

A surface sampler system as recited in claim 16, including means in said surface sampling disc means for projecting said surface sampling material through sAid disc housing aperture having plunger means formed with a projection portion facing said aperture and displaceable toward said aperture by said plunger means.

Claim 29

A surface sampler system as recited in claim 16, including means for projecting said surface sampling material through said disc housing aperture having Belleville spring means mounted within said housing with the concave curvature thereof facing said aperture and adapted for flexing in response to engagement by said plunger means so that the concave curvature thereof engages said surface sampling material.

Claim 30

A surface sampler disc comprises a housing having an opening on at least one side thereof; surface sampling material received within said housing and positioned adjacent said opening for projection therethrough out of said housing; said housing including a material of high magnetic permeability in regions thereof surrounding said opening.

Claim 31

A surface sampler disc comprises a housing having an opening on at least one side thereof; surface sampling material received within said housing and positioned adjacent said opening for projection therethrough out of said housing; said housing including a material of high magnetic permeability in regions thereof surrounding said opening.

Claim 32

A surface sampler disc as recited in claim 25, wherein said housing is formed of a plastic material and supports a substantially ring-shaped member formed of a material of high magnetic premeability in a region substantially surrounding said opening.

Claim 33

A surface sampler system comprising surface sampler disc means including disc housing means having an opening in one side thereof and surface sampling material positioned within said housing adjacent said disc housing means opening for projection therethrough, said disc housing means including a material of high magnetic permeability; and transfer device means including transfer device housing means having an aperture therethrough; magnet means mounted on said housing means in the region of one opening of said aperture for cooperating with said material of high magnetic permeability of said sampler disc means to retain said sampler disc means against said transfer device housing means in registration with said opening of said aperture; and plunger means mounted within said aperture in said housing means for manual selective displacement between a first position recessed within said aperture from said magnet means and a second position projecting through said aperture opening beyond said magnet means, whereby said transfer device may pick up one of said surface sampler discs when said plunger means is in said first position and said disc may be released when said plunger means is operatively displaced from said first position to said second position.

Claim 34

A surface sampler system comprising surface sampler disc means including disc housing means having an opening in one side thereof and surface sampling material positioned within said housing adjacent said disc housing means opening for projection therethrough, said disc housing means including a material of high magnetic permeability; and transfer device means including transfer device housing means having an aperture therethrough; magnet means mounted on said housing means in the region of one opening of said aperture for cooperating with said material of high magnetic permeability of said sampler disc means to retain said sampler disc means against said transfer device housing means in registration with said opening of said aperture; and plunger means mounted within said aperture in said housing means for manual selective displacement between a first position recessed within said aperture from said magnet means and a second position projecting through said aperture opening beyond said magnet means, whereby said transfer device may pick up one of said surface sampler discs when said plunger means is in said first position and said disc may be released when said plunger means is operatively displaced from said first position to said second position.