Patent Application
20110064629
The subject invention relates to cytocentrifuge sample containers, and holders or clips for the same.
A plastic cytology funnel along with a filter card and slide are typically retained together via a metal clip style holder itself configured to be placed in a cytocentrifuge. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,400 incorporated herein by this reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,297,550, also incorporated herein by this reference, discloses a plastic holder with mutually opposite hook-shaped tabs sized to retain the slide, filter card, and funnel base.
Thermo Shandon Scientific Ltd. also offers for sale a plastic “EZ” funnel with a plastic holder hinged to one side. Again, a hook-shaped tab on the holder engages the front of the funnel base. The customer must purchase both the funnel and the holder from the same company.
Accordingly, there is a need for a new source of cytofunnel sample container holders which are not attached to the funnel at the time of purchase.
The subject invention features a new cytocentrifuge sample container holder/support device.
The subject invention features a support device for a cytocentrifuge sample container. One preferred device comprises a support body including spaced edge fingers and a clip hinged to the support body. The clip includes a latch for each spaced edge finger of the support body and edge members each including lugs engaging slotted ledged in the sample container.
In one preferred embodiment, the support body and the clip are made of plastic and the clip is configured as a frame with top and bottom members connected to the edge members. The clip is typically hinged at its bottom member to the bottom of the support body. A latch extends rearwardly from each edge member of the clip. Each lug preferably includes a generally convex member rearwardly extending from an edge member. The support body may further include opposite edge pivots, and spaced lower retainer tabs. The clip may be hinged at its bottom to a bottom portion of the support body via a flexible hinge. The flexible hinge may include an opening and a catch member frictionally received in the opening when the clip is pivoted towards the support body. The support body may also include spaced edge walls and an edge finger located outwardly on each side wall. Each edge finger preferably extends at an angle upwardly and then terminates at a horizontal portion.
One support device for a cytocentrifuge sample container in accordance with the subject invention includes a support body including at least a first edge latch mechanism, a clip hinged to the support body and including at least a second latch mechanism cooperating with the first latch mechanism to releasably secure the clip adjacent the body, and means for biasing the clip with respect to the support body when a sample container, slide, and filter card are positioned between the support body and the clip. The means for biasing the clip with respect to the support body may include edge lugs extending outwardly from the clip. One support device in accordance with the subject invention features a plastic support body, a plastic clip configured as a frame with spaced edge members interconnected via spaced top and bottom members, a living plastic hinge interconnecting the clip bottom member with the support body, at least a first latch mechanism associated with one edge member of the clip, and at least a second latch mechanism associated with the support body and cooperating with the first latch mechanism.
The subject invention, however, in other embodiments, need not achieve all these objectives and the claims hereof should not be limited to structures or methods capable of achieving these objectives.
Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which:
Aside from the preferred embodiment or embodiments disclosed below, this invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Thus, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. If only one embodiment is described herein, the claims hereof are not to be limited to that embodiment. Moreover, the claims hereof are not to be read restrictively unless there is clear and convincing evidence manifesting a certain exclusion, restriction, or disclaimer.
As noted in the background section above, there is a need for a different source of supply of supports or holders for cytocentrifuge sample containers, slides, and filter cards.
In one preferred embodiment, support or holder 40,
The design of sample container may vary. Also, latch mechanisms other than those shown may be used. It is possible, for example, for latches 48a and 48b to reside on body 41 and fingers 42a and 42b to reside on clip 44.
The subject invention, in the preferred embodiment, features several ways to bias the clip 44 with respect to base support 41 and slide 92, filter 90, and container base 96 between clip 44 and support body 41. For example, lug members 52a and 52b are sized along with the latches 48a and 48b to press on sample container 94 base 96 when slide 92 and filter card 90 are in position between clip 44 and support 41. Also, the frame-like structure of clip 44 helps ensure all of the components are secured tightly together. As clip 44,
Although specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others, however, this is for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention. The words “including”, “comprising”, “having”, and “with” as used herein are to be interpreted broadly and comprehensively and are not limited to any physical interconnection. Moreover, any embodiments disclosed in the subject application are not to be taken as the only possible embodiments.
In addition, any amendment presented during the prosecution of the patent application for this patent is not a disclaimer of any claim element presented in the application as filed: those skilled in the art cannot reasonably be expected to draft a claim that would literally encompass all possible equivalents, many equivalents will be unforeseeable at the time of the amendment and are beyond a fair interpretation of what is to be surrendered (if anything), the rationale underlying the amendment may bear no more than a tangential relation to many equivalents, and/or there are many other reasons the applicant can not be expected to describe certain insubstantial substitutes for any claim element amended.
Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims.
