Reagent container

A container which comprises a body having an internal surface and an external surface, said surfaces being joined at a rim which forms the opening of the container, a portion of the internal surface defining a cavity for holding the contents of the container and a portion of the external surface having an asymmetric perimeter which has mirror symmetry about at most one axis, said perimeter lying in a plane substantially parallel to the base of the container, wherein the cavity has sides which slope inwardly down to the bottom of the cavity.

A series of containers wherein each container comprises a body having an internal surface and an eternal surface, said surfaces being joined at a rim which forms the opening of the container, a portion of the internal surface defining a cavity for holding the contents of the container and a portion of the external surface having an asymmetric perimeter which has mirror symmetry about at most one axis, said perimeter lying in a plane substantially parallel to the base of the container, wherein the body of each container includes an internal wall which forms the cavity and an external wall having the asymmetric perimeter, and wherein all the containers have external walls of the same size and shape and at least one of the containers has an internal wall which defines a smaller cavity than the cavity of at least one of the other containers.

A container which comprises a body having an internal surface joined at a rim which forms the opening of the container, a portion of the internal surface defining a cavity for holding the contents of the container and a portion of the external surface having an asymmetric perimeter which has mirror symmetry about at most one axis, said perimeter lying in a plane substantially parallel to the base of the container, wherein the body includes an internal wall which forms the cavity and an external wall having the asymmetric perimeter, and wherein the spacing between the internal and external walls of the container is reduced at one or more locations to permit viewing of the contents of the container.

A holder for a container which has an external surface which includes a portion having an asymmetric perimeter which has mirror symmetry about at most one axis, said perimeter lying in a plane substantially parallel to the base of the container, comprising a body having an aperture for receiving the container, said aperture having (1) a perimeter of essentially the same shape as the perimeter of the asymmetric portion of the external surface of the container, and (2) a size such that the container is received in the aperture and releaseably secured thereby such that the asymmetric portion of the container is adjacent to the asymmetric portion of the holder aperture.