Blending vessel for microbiological analyses
OwnerRobert H. Deibelinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A culture blending vessel adapted for the preparation and containment of samples for microbiological analysis which includes a vessel body and a rotor assembly. The mouth opening of the vessel body is closed by a lid which threads onto the top of the vessel. The rotor assembly has a rotatable shaft extending through a port in the cylindrical side wall of the vessel body. Blending knives are fastened to the interior end of the shaft and may be used to blend the contents of the container by coupling the exterior end of the shaft to a blending motor. The blended sample may then be incubated without transfer to a separate culture vessel.
Claims10
A culture blending vessel for use with a blender motor having a substantially horizontal drive shaft, and adapted for preparing and containing samples, and also the culturing of same, for microbiological analysis comprising:
- a vessel body formed of an autoclavable material having an essentially flat bottom wall, a substantially cylindrical, vertical side wall formed integrally with said bottom wall and extending upwardly therefrom, a mouth opening at the top of said side wall through which material can be deposited in and removed from said body, and a rotor port formed in said side wall a selected distance above said bottom wall;
- a lid closing said mouth opening in selectively removable, fluid-tight relation;
- and
- a rotor assembly mounted in said rotor port and having a substantially horizontal rotor shaft mounted for rotation and extending from the outside to the inside of said vessel body, blending blades attached to the inside end of said rotor shaft for rotation therewith, a coupling on the outside end of said rotor shaft which is adapted to removably and drivingly engage the drive shaft of a blending motor, and means for effecting a fluid tight seal about said rotor shaft for making said vessel fluid-tight at said rotor port.
A culture blending vessel for use with a blender motor having a substantially horizontal drive shaft, and adapted for preparing and containing samples for microbiological analysis, comprising:
- a vessel body formed of an autoclavable material having a bottom wall, a substantially cylindrical, vertical side wall formed integrally with the bottom wall and extending upwardly therefrom, a mouth opening at the top of the side wall through which material can be deposited in and removed from the container, and a rotor port formed in the side wall a selected distance above the bottom wall;
- a lid closing the mouth opening in selectively removable, fluid-tight relation;
- and
- a rotor assembly mounted in the rotor port and having a substantially horizontal rotor shaft mounted for rotation and extending from the outside to the inside of the vessel body, blending blades attached to the inside end of the rotor shaft for rotation therewith, a coupling on the outside end of the rotor shaft which is adapted to removably engage the drive shaft of a blending motor, and a fluid-tight shaft seal engaging the rotor shaft in fluid-tight, sliding relation,
- said rotor assembly further comprising a rotor body extending through the rotor port in the vessel side wall, a bushing within the rotor body through which the rotor shaft is mounted for rotation, a cap attached to the rotor shaft within the vessel and having a skirt which covers and rotates around the end of the rotor body within the vessel, a plate formed of polytetrafluorethylene mounted around the rotor body with the bottom edge of the cap in sliding engagement therewith, and silicone elastomer covering the inner end of the rotor body under the cap to substantially fill the space between the cap and the inner end of the rotor body without unduly interfering with the rotation of the cap.
A culture blending vessel for use with a blender motor having a substantially horizontal drive shaft, and adapted for preparing and containing samples for microbiological analysis, comprising:
- a vessel body formed of an autoclavable material having a bottom wall, a substantially cylindrical, vertical side wall formed integrally with the bottom wall and extending upwardly therefrom, a mouth opening at the top of the side wall through which material can be deposited in and removed from the container, and a rotor port formed in the side wall a selected distance above the bottom wall,
- a lid closing the mouth opening in selectively removable, fluid-tight relation;
- and
- a rotor assembly mounted in the rotor port and having a substantially horizontal rotor shaft mounted for rotation and extending from the outside to the inside of the vessel body, blending blades attached to the inside end of the rotor shaft for rotation therewith, a coupling on the outside end of the rotor shaft of a blending motor, and a fluid-tight shaft seal engaging the rotor shaft in fluid-tight, sliding relation,
- said rotor assemlby further comprising a rotor body extending through the rotor port in the vessel side wall, a bushing within the rotor body through which the rotor shaft is mounted for rotation, a cap attached to the rotor shaft within the vessel and having a skirt which covers and rotates around the end of the rotor body, and a lip-type, spring-loaded Bal seal mounted in a counter-bored wall formed in said bushing to preclude leakage between the drive shaft and said bushing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.