Flexible centrifuge tube having bio-containment function

Abstract

An apparatus and process for transporting and discharging biohazardous materials is disclosed. A vial is provided having an interior for receiving biohazardous contents. The vial is sealed at one end by a frangible tip for forming an opening in the vial upon breaking of the frangible tip. The vial includes a cap at the opposite end of the vial for sealing the vial when a biohazardous sample contained in a porous absorbent member is placed interior of the vial. A centrifuge tube is provided with an upper opening having a dimension to be plugged when the vial is placed into the centrifuge tube. The centrifuge tube has flexible sidewalls to permit digital manipulation of the frangible tip of the vial by the sidewalls of the centrifuge tube. The vial is placed within the centrifuge tube to plug the tube. Once the vial is within the tube, the tube is digitally manipulated to break the frangible tip of the vial by compressing sidewalls of the centrifuge tube to break the frangible tip of the vial interior of the centrifuge tube. Thereafter, centrifuging the centrifuge tube and vial with broken frangible tip occurs. This causes the biohazardous material to discharge from the porous absorbent member and vial into the centrifuge tube for further processing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.