Specimen test unit
OwnerFrederic L. Nasoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved specimen test unit is provided for use in the collection and analysis of a biological specimen or the like. The test unit includes a swab member having a hollow shaft closed at a rear end by a break-off nib, and a swab tip at a front end for collecting a selected specimen. The swab shaft rear end is carried by a housing base, with the break-off nib extending into a reagent chamber having a selected reagent therein. The housing base is sufficiently deformable to break the nib and thereby permit reagent delivery through the swab shaft to contact a collected specimen on the swab tip. In a preferred form, a housing cap removably interfits with the housing base to define a specimen chamber with the swab tip enclosed therein, with the housing base and/or cap being conveniently formed from blow molded plastic components.
Claims21
A specimen test unit, comprising:
- a housing base defining a reagent chamber for receiving a selected flowable reagent, said housing base being formed from a resiliently deformable material;
- a swab member having a hollow swab shaft with a swab tip at a front end thereof and a break-off nib at a rear end thereof, said break-off nib preventing fluid inflow into a rear end of said hollow swab shaft;
- and
- mounting means for mounting said swab member on said housing base with said break-off nib disposed within said reagent chamber and said swab tip disposed outside said reagent chamber, said mounting means further including seal means for sealingly engaging and supporting said swab shaft at a position disposed between said break-off nib and said front end, said housing base being deformable to sever said break-off nib from said hollow swab shaft and thereby permit flow of said selected reagent within said reagent chamber through said hollow swab shaft to said swab tip, said break-off nib remaining within said reagent chamber subsequent to severing thereof from said swab shaft.
A specimen test unit, comprising:
- a housing base defining a reagent chamber for receiving a selected flowable reagent, said housing base being formed from a resiliently deformable material;
- and
- seal means on said housing base and defining a flow aperture leading from said reagent chamber to an exterior of said housing base, and seal means further including a break-off nib at one end of said flow aperture and disposed within said reagent chamber, said break-off nib preventing fluid flow from said reagent chamber through said flow aperture, said housing base being deformable to sever said break-off nib from said seal means and thereby open said flow aperture to fluid flow of the reagent from said reagent chamber, said break-off nib remaining within said reagent chamber subsequent to severing thereof from said seal means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.