# US 11,441,115 B2 · Cell culture device

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,441,115 B2
- Document ID: US11441115B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/042,301
- Filed: 2019-03-12
- Published: 2021-01-14
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2018-03-29
- Assignees: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.; Osaka University; Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.; Osaka University; Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Taro Nagai; Yoshiki Sawa; Shigeru Miyagawa; Kenji Oyama
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11441115B2

## CPC

- C12M 23/10: {Petri dish (crystallising dishes B01L3/06)}
- C12M 41/14: {Incubators; Climatic chambers (per se B01L1/00)}
- C12M 1/22: Petri dishes
- C12M 1/34: Measuring or testing with condition measuring or sensing means, e.g. colony counters
- C12M 1/38: Temperature-responsive control
- C12M 23/48: {Holding appliances; Racks; Supports (holding devices for laboratory apparatus B01L9/00)}
- C12M 27/16: {Vibrating; Shaking; Tilting}
- C12M 33/00: {Means for introduction, transport, positioning, extraction, harvesting, peeling or sampling of biological material in or from the apparatus (chemical or physical laboratory apparatus in general B01L, devices for taking cell samples A61B10/0045, withdrawing or distributing predetermined quantities of fluid B01L99/00)}
- C12M 41/24: {inside the vessel}
- C12M 41/36: {of biomass, e.g. colony counters or by turbidity measurements (electrooptical investigation of individual particles G01N15/14, flow cytometers G01N15/1404)}
- C12M 41/42: {of agitation speed}
- C12M 41/48: {Automatic or computerized control (automatic analysis G01N35/00)}
- C12M: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; {APPARATUS FOR CULTURING MICROORGANISMS FOR PRODUCING BIOMASS, FOR GROWING CELLS OR FOR OBTAINING FERMENTATION OR METABOLIC PRODUCTS, i.e. BIOREACTORS OR FERMENTERS}

## Abstract

When detachment of a cell sheet from a culture dish has started at an unintended timing, immediately detach the cell sheet from the culture dish while preventing generation of wrinkles and the like in the cell sheet. A cell culture device captures an image of cells in the culture dish, and controls a cooling mechanism and a shaking mechanism based on the image so as to shake the cells while cooling them.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A cell culture device for culturing cells, comprising:
a plate adapted to have placed thereon a culture dish for holding cells;
a cooling mechanism that cools the cells held by the culture dish;
a shaking mechanism that shakes the culture dish or the plate;
an imaging unit that captures an image of the cells held by the culture dish; and
a controller that operates the cooling mechanism and the shaking mechanism,
wherein the controller operates the cooling mechanism and the shaking mechanism according to a result of determination of whether to operate the cooling mechanism and the shaking mechanism based on the image of the cells captured by the imaging unit,
wherein the controller determines if at least a part of the cells has been detached from the culture dish by analyzing shapes of the cells based on the image, and
wherein the controller, upon determining that at least a part of the cells has been detached from the culture dish, operates the cooling mechanism and the shaking mechanism.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The cell culture device according to claim 1, wherein the controller shakes the cells by the shaking mechanism while cooling the cells by the cooling mechanism.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The cell culture device according to claim 1, wherein the controller receives an input of an instruction to operate the cooling mechanism and the shaking mechanism, and operates the cooling mechanism and the shaking mechanism in response to the received instruction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The cell culture device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling mechanism cools the cells down to a temperature lower than a culture temperature for the cells.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The cell culture device according to claim 4,
wherein:
the culture dish is configured such that an adhesiveness of the culture dish to the cells changes when a temperature of the culture dish has dropped to a temperature lower than or equal to a threshold temperature, and
the threshold temperature is lower than or equal to the culture temperature.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The cell culture device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a housing that houses the plate and the imaging unit; and
a light that illuminates the culture dish placed on the plate.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The cell culture device according to claim 1, further comprising a housing that houses the plate,
wherein:
the imaging unit is disposed outside of the housing, and
a portion of the housing located between the plate and the imaging unit is formed optically transparent.