Pipette for use with a pipette tip

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11426720-B2
Application number	US-202016737483-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2020
Priority date	Jan 8, 2019
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

A pipette comprises a pipette housing comprising an upper end and a lower end, a nipple configured to contact and retain a pipette tip, a drive apparatus configured to aspirate a liquid specimen into the pipette tip and expel the liquid specimen from the pipette tip, and an ejection apparatus. The ejection apparatus comprises a curved support rotatably mounted within the pipette housing, an ejection rod, a first sensing element positioned on the ejection rod and configured to be guided on a first curve on a perimeter of the curved support, and an operating element coupled to the curved support and configured to rotate relative to the pipette housing. The ejection apparatus is configured to rotate the curved support out of a start position by rotating the operating element. The first curve displaces the first sensing element downward a the ejection rod moves the pipette tip off of the nipple.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pipette for use with a pipette tip, the pipette comprising:
a pipette housing comprising an upper end and a lower end;
a nipple positioned on the lower end of the pipette housing and configured to contact and retain the pipette tip;
a drive apparatus configured to aspirate a liquid specimen into the pipette tip and expel the liquid specimen from the pipette tip; and
an ejection apparatus comprising,
a curved support rotatably mounted within the pipette housing,
an ejection rod guided within the pipette housing in a longitudinal direction of the nipple,
a first sensing element positioned on the ejection rod, wherein the first sensing element is configured to be guided on a first curve positioned on a perimeter of the curved support, and
an operating element coupled to the curved support and configured to project from the pipette housing, the operating element configured to rotate relative to the pipette housing,

wherein the ejection apparatus is configured to rotate the curved support out of a start position by rotating the operating element, and wherein the first curve displaces the first sensing element downward so that the ejection rod moves the pipette tip off of the nipple.

2. The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the nipple comprises a means for a form-fit connection to a pipette tip so that a pipette tip can be inserted onto the nipple while elastically deforming the nipple.

3. The pipette according to claim 2 , wherein the pipette tip is configured to elastically expand before a form-fit connection with the nipple.

4. The pipette according to claim 2 , further comprising a locking apparatus comprising,
a locking sleeve arranged concentric to the nipple,
a control rod configured to project upward from the locking sleeve, wherein the locking sleeve and the control rod are configured to be guided toward the nipple in the pipette housing, and
a second sensing element configured to project from the control rod.

5. The pipette according to claim 4 , further comprising a second curve positioned on the perimeter of the curved support and configured to guide the second sensing element.

6. The pipette according to claim 5 , wherein when the operating element is in the start position, the second sensing element is configured so that the locking sleeve contacts at least one of the nipple and the pipette tip, wherein the locking sleeve prevents release of the pipette tip from the nipple, wherein the locking sleeve is configured to be displaced upward by rotating the operating element so that at least one of the nipple and the pipette tip is at least partially released, and wherein the ejection rod is configured to push the pipette tip off of the nipple.

7. The pipette according to claim 5 , wherein when at least one of the first and second sensing elements is positioned in the start position, at least one of the first curve comprises symmetrically arranged sections on both sides of a high point, and the second curve comprises symmetrically arranged sections on both sides of a low point.

8. The pipette according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first curve and the second curve comprises a groove.

9. The pipette according to claim 5 , wherein the first curve comprises a shape of one of an inverted V, an inverted U, and an inverted Y, and wherein the second curve comprises a shape of one of an upright V and an upright U.

10. The pipette according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the first sensing element and the second sensing element comprises one of a guide pin, a rotatably mounted ball, a roller, a sleeve, and a roller bearing mounted on a pin.

11. The pipette according to claim 4 , further comprising a third sensing element concentric with the nipple and configured to be braced against the pipette housing via a spring, and wherein the spring is configured to be pretensioned by moving the pipette tip onto the nipple so that, when the pipette tip is released from the nipple, the spring relaxes and the third sensing element helps move the pipette tip off of the nipple.

12. The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the curved support is a rotating sleeve having a rotational axis, and wherein at least part of the drive apparatus is positioned within the rotating sleeve.

13. The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the operating element of the ejection apparatus is simultaneously an operating element for driving the drive apparatus.

14. The pipette according to claim 13 , wherein the operating element for driving the drive apparatus is configured to be displaced in a longitudinal direction.

15. The pipette according to claim 12 , wherein the rotating sleeve comprises parallel cutouts positioned on two diametrically opposite sides, wherein the operating element comprises a laterally projecting operating lever on a support plate, and wherein the support plate comprises a curved slot configured to accommodate a sector of the rotating sleeve and configured to be moved along the sector in a longitudinal direction.

16. The pipette according to claim 15 , wherein the pipette housing comprises a first housing slot and a second housing slot, wherein the operating element is configured to be displaced within the first housing slot, and wherein the operating element is configured to be displaced within the second housing slot starting from a middle of the first housing slot and extended in a longitudinal direction such that the operating element is configured to pivot in the first housing slot and is configured to move in a straight line in the second housing slot.

17. The pipette according to claim 15 , wherein the rotating sleeve comprises a support ring positioned on one end of the rotating sleeve.

18. The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the pipette housing and the curved support comprise at least one of a magnet assembly and a spring assembly configured to independently displace the operating element into the start position.

Assignees

• Eppendorf Ag

Inventors

• Tesch Florian

Classifications

• B01L2300/06

  Auxiliary integrated devices, integrated components · CPC title

• B01L2200/14

  Process control and prevention of errors · CPC title

• B01L2200/023

  adapted for different sizes of tubes, tips or container · CPC title

• B01L2400/0487

  fluid pressure, pneumatics · CPC title

• B01L3/0286

  Ergonomic aspects, e.g. form or arrangement of controls · CPC title