Patent Application
20170246600
The present invention relates to a rotatable tube rack holder and tube rack rotator device for tube racks.
Modern research or diagnostic laboratories are increasingly moving towards high through-put procedures. This is true for laboratories with a chemical or biological focus in industry (applied research) as well as academia (basic research) and the health care sector (clinical diagnostics). Many such high-throughput procedures are not fully automated, but involve work-flow steps that require a considerable amount of manual labor. These steps in the work-flow are often not only through-put limiting bottlenecks, but also arduous and time-consuming. Furthermore, hands-on steps in high through-put procedures are likely to be comprised of a large number of serially iterated monotonous movements. This represents very adverse ergonomics regimes and as such pose serious challenges to the work health environment. In order to take advantage of modern highly parallel testing methodologies (diagnostic and/or experimental), more efficient preparative procedures are necessary. Such methods should aim to reduce repetitive work-load during manual handling steps while increasing efficiency.
A prominent step requiring manual intervention is mixing or agitation of samples, often coupled with precipitation of a solid phase of the sample, e.g. by centrifugation. Mixing may be required for homogenization of samples, for instigation a reaction, for full constituent exposure in e.g. dual phase samples or for allowing other chemical or physical changes to take place prior to the ensuing step in the work flow. A commonly used method of mixing is vortexing, consisting of a high-speed swirl of a typically elongated container containing the sample. Complete mixing by vortexing requires high speed swirling, which is an inefficient process. Further, such vigorous vortexing may be detrimental to the integrity of the sample or added testing components, especially in the case of biological samples such as tissues, cells or larger organic molecules. Complete, repetitive inversion of the sample comprises a more efficient and considerably gentler method of mixing.
Laboratory samples are generally stored in a range of containers, e.g. test tubes. Commercially available test tube rotators that allow mixing by full inversion of test tubes are available. These instruments, however, are limited by the number of test tubes that may be processed in parallel. A further serious limitation is the large amount of time-consuming and repetitive manual labor required to load and unload single test tubes from these rotators.
Test tubes generally adhere to category specific industry standards. The tubes may be handled as single units or in batches (i.e. a multiple of sample containers together). Available laboratory rotators exist that allow handling of test tubes in batch, being held in specific, proprietary racks. These racks, however, do generally not conform to category specific standards, thus precluding cross-platform usability or transferability. For example, such rotation tube racks cannot be directly transferred to other laboratory instruments, such as centrifuges, for further processing. Accordingly, all test tubes have to be loaded and unloaded individually. Furthermore, existing rotator systems for batch handling of test tubes involve complicated and laborious two-hand operations for attaching racks to rack receptacles on the rotator device. Hence, the existing rotator solutions for batch handling of samples are not significant improvements to the loading and unloading of single, individual test tubes.
Thus, there is a need in the art to overcome these and other deficiencies.
In order to address and solve the above described need and problems, a first general aspect of the present invention, relates to a rotatable tube rack holder for a tube rack rotator device, comprising: one or more plate(s) extending radially from an axis of rotation; one or more compartment(s) for tightly holding one or more tube rack(s), each tube rack configured to hold a plurality of tubes, wherein said compartment(s) is/are attached to at least one side of said plate(s); and a locking mechanism for each of said compartment(s) and configured such that when said tube rack(s) holding a plurality of said tubes is/are placed inside said compartment, said tubes are restricted from moving in a direction perpendicular to said plate.
In another aspect of the present invention, the present disclosure provides a rotatable tube rack holder for a tube rack rotator device, comprising: one or more plate(s) extending radially from an axis of rotation; one or more compartment(s) for tightly holding one or more tube rack(s), each tube rack configured to hold a plurality of tubes, wherein said compartment(s) is/are attached to at least one side of said plate(s) and configured such that said one or more tube rack(s) can be placed inside said compartment(s) from a direction substantially perpendicular to said plate(s); and a locking mechanism for each of said compartment(s) and configured such that when said tube rack(s) holding a plurality of said tubes is/are placed inside said compartment, said tubes are restricted from moving in a direction perpendicular to said plate.
An effect of the compartment(s) may be that it/they restrict(s) the tube rack(s) from moving in a direction in the plane of the plate(s). In this way, the tube rack(s) may be restricted from moving in all directions such that when rotated, they stay in place. An effect of having the compartment configured such that said one or more tube rack(s) can be placed inside said compartment(s) from a direction substantially perpendicular to said plate(s), is that this may allow the compartment(s) for tightly holding the one or more tube rack(s). In this way, there may be no requirement for adjusting the size of the compartments(s) in order to tightly hold the one or more tube rack(s). Another effect of having compartment configured such that said one or more tube rack(s) can be placed inside said compartment(s) from a direction substantially perpendicular to said plate(s), is that this may allow for placement of tubes in the rotatable tube rack holder placed in for example a box, such as a cooling box, with access only from above.
In relation to the rotatable tube rack holder, the present disclosure relates to a tube rack rotator device for rotating a rotatable tube rack holder, comprising: a drive configured for rotating said rotatable tube rack holder around an axis of rotation; a first mounting means configured for being mounted with said rotatable tube rack holder; a second mounting means comprising a bearing and located a distance along said axis of rotation such that said rotatable tube rack holder is able to be mounted between said first mounting means and said second mounting means; and stopping means configured such that said rotatable tube rack holder is able to be prevented from rotating.
An effect of the bearing is that is facilitates hiding of moving parts, thereby relating to safety. For example it prevents that hair gets into the end of the rotatable tube rack holder. Another effect of the bearing is that it facilitates stability. For example the movement is limited to revolving around the axis of rotation, and wobbling may be minimized. A third effect of the bearing is that it facilitates easy positing of the rotatable tube rack holder. A fourth effect of the bearing is that it facilitates maintenance free operation—for example, it may not be required to use oil to make the rotatable tube rack holder rotate smoothly. Other effects of the bearing are that it facilitates smooth rotation of the rotatable tube rack holder, thereby for example facilitating low force to rotate the rotatable tube rack holder, robustness, noiseless movement, and tolerance to cold and/or heat. An effect of the stopping means is that a tube rack can be placed and/or locked in said rotatable tube rack holder when the rotatable tube rack holder is stopped. Another effect of the stopping means is that the rotatable tube rack holder can be restricted from moving by an object getting in contact with the rotatable tube rack holder, for example a finger, such the stopping means provides a safety feature.
Further, the present disclosure relates to a tube rack for holding a plurality of tubes, comprising: a base unit comprising a bottom having a plates and configured for being placed in a rotatable tube rack holder and/or one or more centrifuge(s); and a plurality of indentions in the base unit, each indention configured for holding a tube, wherein each indention comprises a cylindrical top section and a conical bottom section, the conical bottom section having an opening angle between 16 and 20 degrees, such as between 17 degrees and 20 degrees, such as between 18 degrees and 20 degrees, such as between 19 degrees and 20 degrees, such as between 17 degrees and 19 degrees, such as between 18 degrees and 19 degrees, and/or such as 18.5 degrees.
An effect of this is that a series of different tubes, varying in volume such as between 1.5 mL and 1.7 mL, and with a lower conical part that varies in opening angle from 16 to 19 degrees can fit into said indentions, such that an end of said different tubes abutting the rack are positioned at the same height. Furthermore, the described tubes may also vary with respect to bottom end curvature from 2 mm to 3.5 mm and with respect to end depth from 1.7 mm to 2.2 mm. The conical bottom section may further facilitate tight placement of the tubes such that the tubes are kept in place rather than rattling around as is the case for tubes being placed in most tube racks. Furthermore, the tight-fitting conical part may ensure maximal thermal contact between rack and the tubes. Even further, the tight-fitting conical part may for instance permit biological samples to be cooled or heated swiftly when positioned in the rack, or be kept at a temperature identical to the rack temperature.
Even further, the present disclosure relates to a rotator system, comprising: a rotatable tube rack holder as previously described; and a tube rack rotator device as previously described.
Even more further, the present disclosure relates to a rotator kit, comprising: a rotatable tube rack holder as previously described; and a tube rack rotator device as previously described.
According to the present invention, the rotatable tube rack holder for a laboratory sample inversion device includes one or more plates extending radially from the axis of rotation. One or more compartments located on these surfaces allow secure attachment of laboratory tube racks, each tube rack holding a plurality of test tubes with a sample. Rotation by a motor unit permits agitation of the samples, for instance biological material as a step in diagnostic or experimental procedures. Compartments are configured to allow top-down loading of tube racks, which are held in place by the confinements of the compartment as well as a one-hand operated locking mechanism. The racks holding pluralities of test tubes conform to industry category standards allowing direct transfer of racks to ensuing work flow steps, for instance centrifugation. The rotatable tube rack holder increases the number of samples that can be agitated in parallel while reducing the time and effort required for loading and unloading racks to the tube rack compartments.
Plate(s)
As previously described, the present invention relates to a rotatable tube rack holder for a tube rack rotator device, comprising one or more plate(s) extending radially from an axis of rotation.
In one embodiment of the present invention, said plate comprises a single plate. A configuration where the plate comprises a single plate is the simplest construction of the present invention. However, such a construction may still facilitate the rotation of a plurality of tube racks. One or more compartments for holding the plurality of tube racks may for example be located on the same side or on both sides of the single plate. Preferably, the single plate may have its axis of rotation along the middle of the plate, but alternatively it could have its axis of rotation along a line away from the middle of the plate.
In another embodiment of the present invention, said plates comprise a one-piece structure having three radially extending plates.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, said said plates comprise a one-piece structure having four radially extending plates.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, said plates comprise three plates. A first plate may have an area of approximately the sum of the two other plates, for example such that the two other plates have an area of approximately half of the first plate. In this way, it may be possible to connect the two other plates on each side of the first plates, with their planes perpendicular to the plane of the first plate, thereby obtaining four radial extending plates, for example with the same area. All the plates may also be identical and connected to each other such that the three plates form three radially extending plates.
In yet further embodiments of the present invention, said plates comprise four plates forming four radially extending plates. The four plates may for example be identical and connected to each other.
Various configurations of the plates may be possible. As illustrated, it may be possible to connect the three plates to form three radially extending plates, but it may also be possible to connect the three plates to form four radially extending plates. Using a large number of plates may facilitate a large number of radially extending plates. The plates may be made of plastic such as for example acrylate polymer. The one or more compartments for holding the plurality of tube racks may be located on both sides of the plate(s).
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plate(s) has/have a length along said axis of rotation of less than 55 cm, such as less than 50 cm, such as less than 45 cm, such as less than 40 cm, such as less than 35 cm, such as less than 30 cm, such as less than 25 cm, such as less than 20 or such as less than 15 cm. An effect of having a length along said axis of rotation of the complete rotator system at least less than 55 cm is that the rotator and plate may be possible to insert in a refrigerator or laboratory oven, such that for example the tube racks and the tubes can be kept at a constant desired low or high temperature. However, in some embodiments, the length along said axis of rotation is less than 100 cm.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the compartment(s) comprises one or more wall(s). These walls may for example be attached to the plate(s) by glue or other adhesive. The compartments may be made of plastic such as for example acrylate polymer.
Preferably, the wall(s) comprise(s) a part of said plates. It may for example be possible to have a number of walls attached to a first plate and a second plate attached with its plane perpendicular to the first plate, such that the second plate forms a wall.
In one embodiment, the locking mechanism is configured for enclosing the tube rack(s) and said tubes in said compartment(s). The enclosing may enclose the tube rack(s) fully or partly.
As just described, the plate(s) may be attached to each other to form the radial extending plates. In this way, it may be possible to design and/or manufacture a rotatable tube rack holder for a tube rack rotator device without a shaft. Thus the present invention provides a device with low production cost in that only plates may be needed to form a rotatable tube rack holder for a tube rack rotator device.
Locking Mechanism
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the locking mechanism for each compartment having a first position for allowing placement of said tube rack into said compartment and a second position for restricting said tubes from moving in a direction perpendicular to said plate. The first and second positions may be open and closed. Further, the first and second positions may be locked and unlocked. For example, the locking mechanism may be mechanically operated. The locking mechanism may be a lid and/or a lid lock, such that the lid can be opened and closed. The lid lock may be locked or unlocked, for example when the lid is closed. The locking mechanism may be a hook-and-eye or may be a spring-loaded hook-and-eye. The locking mechanism may also be magnetically operated. The locking mechanism may be connected or unconnected. For example, the locking mechanism may be a magnet, for example attached to a lid, such that in the first position the magnet is unconnected from the plates and in the second position the magnet is connected to the plates. The first position may be on and off. For example, the locking mechanism may be electronically or electro-magnetically operated. The locking mechanism may be an electromagnetic lock, for example the locking mechanism may be an electromagnet, for example attached to a lid or the plate(s), such that in the first position the electromagnet is off and in the second position the magnet is on. The electromagnet may lock a lid to the plate(s) or the electromagnet may lock the tube rack to the plate(s).
As described, the locking mechanism may comprise a lid. Preferably, the lid is connected to the plate(s). More preferably, when there are more than two plates, such as three or four plates, the lid is connected to one of the plates and locked to another of the plates, for example by the lid being bended. In one embodiment of the present invention, the lid comprises a spring loaded hinge. In another embodiment of the present invention, the lid comprises a spring loaded lock, e.g. as a hook-and-eye. The spring loaded hinge and/or spring loaded lock may facilitate easy operation of the lid. In one embodiment, the lid may thus be opened by pressing the lid. In another embodiment, the lid may be opened by pushing or pulling the lever on the spring-loaded lock. Thus, the spring loaded hinge and/or spring loaded lock may further facilitate one-hand operation of the lid.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lid is configured for press fitting said tubes into said tube rack(s) while being closed. Since the tubes are restricted from moving in a direction perpendicular to said plate by the locking means according to the present invention, the locking mechanism may be configured particularly such that press fitting the tubes into the tube rack(s) is possible. For example, a lid may restrict the tubes from moving in a direction perpendicular to said plate, and thereby being able to apply a pressure in a direction perpendicular to said plate such that the tubes are press fit into the tube rack(s). Thus, the present invention provides a solution to easily fitting, in particular press fitting, tubes into a tube rack.
Stabilizing Means
As previously described, it may be possible to design and/or manufacture a rotatable tube rack holder for a tube rack rotator device without a shaft. A shaft typically provides some stability, but this can be achieved using stabilizing means as disclosed herein.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rotatable tube rack holder further comprises a first stabilizing means and a second stabilizing means configured to stabilize said plate(s). The first stabilizing means may be attached to a first end of said plate(s) along said axis of rotation and wherein said second stabilizing means is attached to an opposite end of said plate(s) along said axis of rotation.
Preferably, the first stabilizing means comprises a first attachment means configured to mount to a first mounting means in said tube rack rotator device.
More preferably, the second stabilizing means comprises a second attachment means configured to mount to a second mounting means in said tube rack rotator device. Two stabilizing means may provide a more stable configuration that just one stabilizing means.
Stopping Means on the Tube Rack Rotator Device
In one embodiment of the present invention, the stopping means comprises one or more protrusions configured to engage with a part of said rotatable tube rack holder from a direction perpendicular to said axis of rotation, thereby restricting said rotatable tube rack holder from rotating.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the stopping means comprises means for engaging and/or disengaging said stopping means, may be mechanical means such as for example a button or a knob. The means for engaging and/or disengaging said stopping means may be electronic and/or digital means, for example a touch display.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stopping means comprises a clutch to allow said drive to rotate while said rotatable tube rack holder is being restricted from rotating. For example, one or more protrusions configured to engage with a part of said rotatable tube rack holder from a direction perpendicular to said axis of rotation, may be restricting said rotatable tube rack holder from rotating, while the drive still rotates. Alternatively, a person or a part of a person, such as a hand or a finger, even hair, may be restricting said rotatable tube rack holder from rotating, while the drive still rotates. In this way, the clutch may facilitate a safety feature.
Dimensions of the Tube Rack Rotator Device
In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotator device has a total length along said axis of rotation of less than 58 cm, such as less than 53 cm, such as less than 48 cm, such as less than 43 cm, such as less than 38 cm, such as less than 33 cm, such as less than 28 cm, such as less than 23 or such as less than 18 cm. An effect of having a length as just described is that the device may be possible to insert in a refrigerator or oven, such that for example the tube racks and the tubes can be kept at a constant desired low or high temperature. However, in some embodiments, the total length along said axis of rotation of the device is less than 100 cm.
Tube Rack and Tubes
As previously described, the present invention relates to a tube rack comprising a plurality of indentions with a conical bottom section, wherein the conical bottom section is with an opening angle between 16 and 20 degrees. The conical bottom section may be rounded with a radius of curvature between 1 mm and 5 mm, such as between 2 mm and 4 mm, such as 3 mm. Thus the conical bottom section may comprise a geometrical apex point, A, which is not located inside the indention, but rather located in the base unit or outside the base unit. If two diametrical points on the conical bottom section are called B and C, then the angle ∠BAC is the opening angle. The two point B and C may be coinciding with the cylindrical top section, and thus defining the diameter of the indention.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening angle is selected such that a series of different tubes having a volume between 1.5 mL and 1.7 mL can fit into said indentions such that said series of different tubes held in said indentions abut said cylindrical top section with the same height. The series of different tubes may further have a cross sectional diameter that varies with up to 2 mm and/or such as up 1 mm.
In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cylindrical top section has a diameter of approximately 10.9 mm. Most preferably, the indentions are 48 indentions in an array formed by 6 by 8.
The tubes may be configured for holding a volume between 1.5 mL and 1.7 mL. There are various tubes on the market holding a volume between 1.5 mL and 1.7 mL. Examples are: Eppendorf tubes (cat #0030125.150, 0030108.051 and/or 0030120.086), Biozym tubes (cat #710176), Corning Costar tubes (cat #3620), Santa Cruz tubes (cat #sc-200271), Life Technologies/Ambion tubes (cat #AM12400), Starlab tubes (cat #E1415-1500), Simport tubes (cat #SIMPT330-7LST, or Fisherbrand tubes (cat #05-408-129). The described micro centrifuge tubes have an upper near-cylindrical part and a lower conical part with a total length between 40.30 to 41.00 mm. The conical part varies in opening angle from 16 to 19 degrees and has a rounded bottom that varies in curvature from R2 to R3.5 whilst the bottom end depth varies from 1.7 to 2.2 mm.
The tube rack as disclosed herein may specifically be configured for holding tubes holding a volume between 1.5 mL and 1.7 mL, in particular all the above described tubes. In other words, by having the tube rack as disclosed herein, it is possible to use a variety of tubes having a volume between 1.5 mL and 1.7 mL. Further, by having the tube rack as disclosed herein, it is configured such that the total height of the tube rack and inserted tubes, with the various tubes having a volume between 1.5 mL and 1.7 mL placed in the tube rack, is within a minimum of 42.5 mm and a maximum of 43.6 mm. In other words, when the various tubes are placed in the tube tack, the total rack and tube height is always within a defined range. This ensures that the tube rack with the various tubes placed therein can be placed in the rotatable tube rack holder without height adjustments of the compartment, for example by adjustment of the placement of the lid.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the length of said base unit is between 100 mm and 150 mm, such as between 110 mm and 140 mm, and/or such as between 120 mm and 130 mm, and/or such as between 127 mm and 128 mm, and/or such as 127.48 mm.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the width of said base unit is between 70 mm and 100 mm, such as between 80 mm and 90 mm, and/or such as 84.98 mm.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the height of said base unit is between 30 mm and 36 mm, such as between 31 mm and 35 mm, and/or such as between 32 mm and 34 mm, and/or such as 33 mm.
These dimensions are such that the tube rack fits within a series of centrifuges adapted to centrifuge micro plates with tubes such that the dimensions conform to industry footprint standards for micro plates: American national Standards Institute, ANSI/SLAS 1-2004.
In order to have the tube racks to fit within a wide range of centrifuges, the base unit may comprise rounded corners with a radius of curvature of 4 mm.
Preferably, the base unit may comprise one or more gripping means for carrying and/or handling said tube rack. The gripping means may be one or more grooves.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the base unit is made of a material with a heat conductance between 50 W/M/° C. and 500 W/M/° C. In this way, samples and/or tubes may be kept at a constant temperature during a longer work process. Within the heat conductance range is included silver: 427 W/M/° C., aluminum: 237 W/M/° C. and cast iron: 55 W/M/° C.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the base unit has a weight of less than 350 g, such as less than 330 g, such as less than 310 g, such as less than 290 g, such as less than 270 g, such as less than 250 g, such as less than 230 g, such as less than 210 g, such as less than 190 g, such as less than 170 g, such as less than 150 g, such as less than 130 g, such as less than 110 g, such as less than 90 g, such as less than 70 g or such as less than 50 g.
Rotator System and Rotator Kit
According to the present invention, there is disclosed a rotator system comprising a rotatable tube rack holder and a rotator device. The rotator system may further comprise one or more of the described feature(s). The rotator system may be an assembled system.
According to the present invention, there is also disclosed a rotator kit, comprising a rotatable tube rack holder and a rotator device. The rotator kit may further comprise one or more of the described feature(s). The rotator kit may even further comprise a tube rack as previously described. The rotator kit may be an assembled or an un-assembled system.
a second mounting means 15 comprising a bearing and located a distance along said axis of rotation such that said rotatable tube rack holder is able to be mounted between said first mounting means and said second mounting means; and stopping means (here removed to show the second mounting means, but visible on
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PA 2014 70590 | Sep 2014 | DK | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/DK2015/050283 | 9/21/2015 | WO | 00 |
