Pipette tip rack system

A pipette tip dispenser capable of holding a tip deck loaded with pipette tips, the tip dispenser comprising:

• a base including a bottom wall, lateral sidewalls and a front sidewall and a back sidewall, and a cover including a top surface, lateral sidewalls, a front sidewall and a rear sidewall, where the base defines a basin in which a tip deck loaded with pipette tips can be set and at least a part of the cover is made of a transparent material;
• at least one hinge pivotally connecting the rear sidewall of the cover to the rear sidewall of the base;
• a latch capable of releasably holding the cover to the base in a closed position over the basin;
• and
• at least one lifting mechanism that lifts the cover of the holder into an open position to expose pipette tips held in dispenser when the latch is released to allow the cover to pivot with respect to the base.

A clamshell container comprising:

• a lower receptacle with a bottom wall, lateral sidewalls, a front sidewall and a back sidewall;
• a formed catch detent on the front sidewall of the lower receptacle, the catch detent including a base wall and sidewalls extending outward from the base wall, each sidewall having a proximal portion adjacent the base wall and a distal portion wherein the distance between the respective distal portions is less than the distance between the respective proximal sections;
• a lid with a top wall, lateral sidewalls, a front sidewall and a back sidewall;
• at least one rear hinge connecting the back sidewall of the lid to the back sidewall of the tip receptacle such that the clamshell tip container is opened by rotating the lid away from the tip receptacle along the rear hinge;
• and
• a hinged locking tab along a lower edge of the front wall of the lid, wherein the locking tab includes a formed engagement protrusion that engages with the formed catch detent on a front wall of the lower receptacle in order to releasably close the lid on the clamshell tip container;
• wherein the formed engagement protrusion includes a pair of latch bosses each extending laterally from one side of the engagement protrusion such that the distance between the respective distal portions of the sidewalls of the catch detent is less than the full span between the latch bosses and the latch bosses reside between the respective proximal portions of the sidewalls of the catch detent when the locking tab is in a closed position;
• wherein the lower receptacle, the lid, the locking tab and the hinge are made of thermoformed plastic material.

A clamshell tip container comprising:

• a tip receptacle with a bottom wall, lateral sidewalls, a front sidewall and a back sidewall, where the tip receptacle defines a well for storing pipette tips;
• a tip deck spanning over the well and having a peripheral brim, a skirt extending downward from the brim, and a rear support sleeve extending down from the skirt, said brim being supported by the sidewalls of the receptacle, and configured to hold an array of pipette tips substantially vertically with collars of the respective pipette tips facing upward to facilitate mounting of the pipette tips onto pipette fittings;
• the back sidewall of the tip receptacle having a rear clearance detent into which the rear support sleeve on the tip deck resides, and a rear reinforced foot on the back sidewall of the receptacle to support the rear support sleeve of the tip deck in the rear clearance detent and prevent the receptacle from collapsing during tip loading;
• a lid with a top wall, lateral sidewalls, a front sidewall and a back sidewall;
• at least one hinge connecting the back sidewall of the lid to the back sidewall of the tip receptacle such that the clamshell tip container is opened by rotating the lid away from the tip receptacle along the hinge;
• and
• wherein the tip receptacle, the lid and the hinge are made of thermoformed plastic material.