US 2011/0300033 A1Published application

Pipette Holder and Applicator Apparatus

AssigneeChemence Medical, Inc.

InventorPeter D. Battisti

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Abstract

A two-piece holder and applicator for a squeezable pipette has a lower cylindrical body and a cap dimensioned to slide down over the body after the pipette has been inserted into the body. The cap has two diametrically-opposed vertical tabs that fit alongside the outer surface of the body, and each tab has an inwardly-facing button that is shaped to cooperate with a mating hole in opposing sides of the body. The buttons serve both to lock the cap onto the body and to transmit pressure applied by fingers on the outside of the tabs through the holes and against the walls of the pipette. Thus, when the tip of the pipette is punctured, the pipette can be squeezed using the tabs without touching the pipette. The small area of the buttons allow the user much greater control over the rate of dispensing of adhesive than if the entire area of opposing fingertips is used to squeeze the pipette.

Claims11

Dependent claims

A pipette holder and applicator apparatus, comprising:

a body comprising an elongate, substantially cylindrical shell, and a base;
the shell having an open upper end, a cylindrical inner surface of a first diameter and a coaxial outer surface of a second diameter, the thickness of the shell being about one-half the difference between the second diameter and the first diameter, and a first plurality of holes extending from the outer surface through to the inner surface, the holes disposed at about equal angular distances from each other around the centerline of the shell and at a first vertical distance from the open upper end;
a cap comprising a collar, the collar having a lower surface and an upper surface;
the lower surface having a substantially vertical cylindrical first bore of approximately the second diameter so that the first bore slidingly fits over the outer surface of the shell;
the upper surface having a substantially vertical cylindrical second bore of a third diameter extending from the upper surface through to the first bore;
the second bore being coaxial to the first bore;
the cap further comprising a plurality, equal to the first plurality, of elongate, resilient tabs depending downwardly from the lower surface, and disposed at about equal angular distances from each other around the periphery of the lower surface;
the tabs each having
an inner face substantially facing the centerline of the second bore;
a button disposed inwardly on the inner face at approximately the first vertical distance from the lower surface;
each button being shaped to pass through each hole and having an inner edge spaced a horizontal distance inward from each inner face greater than the thickness of the shell;
the resiliency of each tab creating a bias force on each button towards the centerline of the first bore when the cap is placed on the body by sliding the first bore downward over the outer surface of the shell, the bias force being at least partially relieved when the inner edge of a button enters a hole, and the bias force being re-created when upward movement of the cap causes a button to begin to emerge from a hole.

9 more elements

A holder and applicator apparatus for a pipette, the pipette containing liquid and having a vertical cylindrical container portion, the container portion having a container height and a container diameter, and a tapered applicator connected to the top of the container portion by a neck having a neck diameter;

comprising:
a substantially vertical cylindrical body comprising
a vertical cylindrical cavity having an open upper end, the cavity about equal to the container height, and the cavity diameter about equal to the container diameter so that the container portion of the pipette can slide essentially fully into the cavity;
a cylindrical outer body wall concentric with the cavity and having a body wall diameter;
the wall thickness being one-half the difference between the body wall diameter and the cavity diameter;
a substantially horizontal base supporting the apparatus free-standing;
two holes through the outer body wall to the cavity, disposed diametrically to each other about the cylindrical body wall and located vertically a first distance below the upper end;
a cap comprising
an upper surface;
a perimeter;
a substantially flat, substantially horizontal lower surface with a cylindrical vertical bore hole extending upwardly part way through the cap toward the upper surface;
the bore hole having a diameter slightly larger than the body wall diameter and slidingly fitted over the body wall;
an applicator neck hole concentric with the bore hole and extending upwardly from the top of the bore hole through to the upper surface;
two vertically elongate tabs each having an upper end, a lower end, a substantially vertical inner surface, and an outer surface;
each upper end being fixed to the lower surface of the cap so that the tabs are diametrically opposed to each other about the cylindrical body wall;
each inner surface being substantially parallel to the other and tangential to the cylindrical body wall;
two buttons each having a vertically-disposed base affixed to the two vertical inner surfaces at the first distance from the lower surface;
the base of each button being shaped to fit within each hole;
each button protruding by a second distance from each vertical inner surface through each hole toward the center of the cavity;
the second distance being greater than the wall thickness;
so that when a pipette is secured within the cavity and the tip of the applicator is pierced, compression of the outer surfaces of the tabs towards each other will cause the buttons to squeeze the vertical cylindrical container portion of the pipette and force liquid to flow from the pipette.

18 more elements

A holder and applicator apparatus for a pipette, the pipette having a vertical cylindrical container portion, the container portion having resilient walls, and an applicator connected to the top of the container portion by a neck;

comprising:
a substantially vertical body with an open-topped cylindrical cavity,
the cavity being defined by a wall having a thickness and an outer surface;
the body further comprising at least one pair of holes on opposite sides of the body through the wall into the cavity;
a cap fitting in sliding engagement with the outer surface and
having a neck hole fitting over the neck of the pipette;
at least one pair of buttons
connected to, and being positioned below, the cap so as to enter the at least one pair of holes when the cap is fitted as far down on the open top as it will go;
each button having a horizontal length extending through each hole and into the cavity beyond the container diameter;
means for biasing the at least one pair of buttons towards each other into the holes substantially without compressing the resilient walls;
means for applying manual pressure against the at least one pair of buttons to compress the resilient walls;
and
means for manually overcoming the bias so that the at least one pair of buttons will move away from each other out of the at least one pair of holes.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.