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US 3,939,044 AGranted
Anaerobic microbe transport assembly and method of using
AssigneeVirginia Polytechnic Institute Educational Foundation, Inc.
InventorsTracy Dale Wilkins, Franklin Jimenez-Ulate
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosure is made of a novel assembly for transporting anaerobic microbes from clinical patient to laboratory. The assembly provides a convenient and reliable means of maintaining microbial viability in the critical period between collection and deposition in a culturing environment.
Claims26
An assembly for maintaining anaerobic microorganisms, which comprises;
- a. a first tubular container having hermetically sealed ends and which defines a hermetically sealed chamber;
- b. means disposed in said chamber for removing gaseous oxygen;
- c. a second tubular container having a closed end and an open end and which defines a compartment, said second container being mounted on said first container so that there is no communication between said chamber and said compartment, said compartment being in open communication with the atmosphere outside of said chamber;
- d. means of hermetically sealing said open end at will;
- and
- e. means of establishing communication between said chamber and said compartment when said open end is hermetically sealed.
3 more elements
An assembly for transporting anaerobic microorganisms, which comprises,
- a. a first tubular container having one closed end and one open end and which defines a chamber;
- b. an elastomeric plug hermetically sealing said open end, and having a bore therethrough communicating between said chamber and the outside atmosphere;
- c. means disposed in said chamber for removing gaseous oxygen;
- d. a second tubular container having an open end and a closed end, the open end of said second container being detachably mounted in the lower end of said bore with the closed end of said second container extending into said chamber, said second container defining a compartment;
- and
- e. a rigid closure member engaged in a sliding-seal with the inner walls of the upper end of said bore, said closure being adapted to move downward to displace said second tubular container.
3 more elements
A method of maintaining viability in collected anaerobic microorganisms, which comprises;
- providing an assembly, which comprises:
- a first tubular container having hermetically sealed ends and which defines a hermetically sealed chamber;
- means disposed in said chamber for removing gaseous oxygen;
- a second tubular container having a closed end and an open end and which defines a compartment, said second container being mounted on said first container so that there is no communication between said chamber and said compartment, said compartment being in open communication with the atmosphere outside of said chamber;
- means of hermetically sealing said open end;
- and means of establishing communication between said chamber and said compartment when said open end is hermetically sealed;
- depositing a clinical specimen suspected of harboring anaerobic organisms into said compartment;
- hermetically sealing the open end of said compartment;
- and establishing communication between said chamber and said compartment when said open end is hermetically sealed;
- and
- activating means for removing gaseous oxygen from said chamber.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.