Pipette for use with a pipette tip or syringe having a piston and a cylinder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11951471-B2
Application number	US-202117354193-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2021
Priority date	Jun 22, 2020
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

A pipette for use with a pipette tip or syringe including a piston positioned within a cylinder comprises a pipette housing extending between an upper end and a lower end. Two parallel rods are positioned in the pipette housing, wherein one of the two parallel rods is coupled to a lifting rod. An operating element is configured to protrude outwardly from the pipette housing and be displaced relative to the pipette housing. A gear mechanism is arranged in the pipette housing and comprises a drive comprising a moveable input member and configured to be driven by the operating element, and an output comprising at least one moveable output member and configured to drive the two parallel rods. Successive displacements of the input member by the operating element are configured to alternately displace one of the two parallel rods and then another of the two parallel rods by the output member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pipette for use with a pipette tip or syringe including a piston positioned within a cylinder, the pipette comprising:
a pipette housing comprising a stem shape and extending between an upper end and a lower end;
a first retaining apparatus positioned at the lower end of the pipette housing and configured for releasable retention of the cylinder;
a lifting rod positioned within the pipette housing and comprising a second retaining apparatus at the lower end of the pipette housing configured for releasable retention of an upper end of a piston rod of the piston and further configured to displace a sealing region of the piston in a piston running region above a tip opening at the lower end of the cylinder,
two parallel rods positioned in the pipette housing, wherein one of the two parallel rods is coupled to the lifting rod;
a deflection apparatus configured to couple the two parallel rods together, wherein the two parallel rods are configured to be simultaneously displaced in opposing directions;
an operating element configured to protrude outwardly from the pipette housing and configured to be displaced relative to the pipette housing in an axial direction of the lifting rod; and
a gear mechanism arranged in the pipette housing and comprising,
a drive comprising a moveable input member and configured to be driven by the operating element, and
an output comprising at least one moveable output member and configured to drive the two parallel rods,

wherein successive displacements of the moveable input member from the same initial position by the operating element is configured to alternately displace one of the two parallel rods and then another of the two parallel rods by the at least one moveable output member,
wherein the at least one moveable output member of the gear mechanism is a driver element configured to be displaced alternately into a position above one of the two parallel rods and to displace the one of the two parallel rods downwardly, and wherein the driver element is configured to subsequently be displaced into a position above another of the two parallel rods and to displace this rod downwardly,
wherein the driver element is a wing disk rotatably mounted about an axis parallel to the two parallel rods, and wherein successive displacements of the input member from an initial position is able to be positioned alternately with a wing above one of the two parallel rods and at a same time with an undercut above another of the two parallel rods, and with an undercut above the one of the two parallel rods and at the same time with a wing above the other of the two parallel rods.

2. The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the two parallel rods each define a plurality of teeth on at least one surface and wherein the deflection apparatus comprises a gearwheel configured to cooperate with the teeth of the two parallel rods in order to displace the parallel rods simultaneously in opposing directions.

3. The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the gear mechanism includes a rod drive that comprises,
the driver element,
at least one first control cam, which may be activated by contact from above and which slopes in a peripheral direction,
at least one first guide element,
an actuator which has a lateral stop and which may be pushed from above by means of the operating element in the axial direction of the rod against the first control cam, and
at least one second guide element which is arranged fixedly in position in the pipette housing,
wherein the at least one second guide element is configured to guide the rod drive on the first guide element in the axial direction until the upper end of the first guide element is displaced beyond the lower end of the second guide element,
wherein the rod drive with the first control cam is rotated until the first guide element bears against the lateral stop of the actuator partially below the lower end of the second guide element, and
wherein with a return displacement of the actuator upwardly, the first guide element is released from the lateral stop when the lower end of the first guide element is displaced beyond the upper end of the lateral stop, and wherein the rod drive with the first control cam slides past the lower end of the second guide element until the rod drive with the first guide element is rotated into a position bearing against the second guide element.

4. The pipette according to claim 3 , wherein the actuator comprises a second control cam configured to be activated by contact from below, wherein the second control cam in a same peripheral direction, and wherein the actuator is configured to be pushed thereby from above against the first control cam.

5. The pipette according to claim 3 , wherein the first guide element comprises a third control cam configured to be activated by contact from below and which slopes in a same peripheral direction, and wherein the first control cam sliding upwardly past the third control cam with the return displacement of the actuator.

6. The pipette according to claim 5 , wherein the actuator is pushed away from the rod drive by a spacer spring supported on the rod drive.

7. The pipette according to claim 3 , wherein the rod drive is configured to be pushed against the actuator by a compression spring supported on an abutment fixedly positioned in the pipette housing.

8. The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the gear mechanism comprises a track carrier, wherein the track carrier comprises,
the driver element,
a horizontal control pin guide,
tracks arranged on different sides of a vertical first plane, said tracks having in each case on different sides of a second, plane perpendicular to the vertical first plane,
a vertical first portion with a lead-in chamfer, and
a second portion proximate the vertical first portion, wherein the second portion which is angled.

9. The pipette according to claim 8 , wherein the gear mechanism further comprises,
a control pin connected to the operating element and configured to be displaceably guided along a control pin guide, and
a pin carrier fixedly positioned in the pipette housing with a pin bearing,
a guide pin arranged perpendicular to the vertical first plane and comprising an end protruding from the pin carrier,
wherein a vertical displacement of the track carrier in a first direction is configured to displace the guide pin at the end protruding from the pin carrier by the lead-in chamfer of a first guide track until another end of the guide pin engages with a second guide track.

10. The pipette according to claim 9 , wherein during subsequent vertical displacements of the track carrier, the guide pin is configured to be guided along the second portion and the track carrier is configured to be laterally displaced in a first direction with the driver element.

11. The pipette according to claim 10 , wherein a vertical displacement of the track carrier in a second opposing is configured to displace the guide pin at the end protruding from the pin carrier end by the lead-in chamfer of the second track so that another end of the guide pin engages with the first track, and wherein during subsequent vertical displacements of the track carrier in the opposing second direction, the guide pin is guided along the angled second portion and the track carrier is configured to be laterally displaced in a second opposing direction with the driver element.

12. The pipette according to claim 9 , wherein the track carrier comprises a frame including two parallel plate-shaped frame parts, and wherein the two parallel plate-shaped frame parts are kept apart from one another by spacers.

Assignees

• Eppendorf Ag

Inventors

• Wilth Marc
• Tuchscherer Dana
• Kunsch Matthias
• Tesch Florian
• Reichmuth Burghardt

Classifications

• G01N35/1011

  Control of the position or alignment of the transfer device · CPC title

• B01L2200/087

  Ergonomic aspects · CPC title

• G01N35/10

  Devices for transferring samples {or any liquids} to, in, or from, the analysis apparatus, e.g. suction devices, injection devices {(G01N35/0099 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B01L3/0282

  mounted within a receptacle (wash bottles B01L3/10) · CPC title

• B01L3/0227 Primary

  Details of motor drive means (B01L3/0231, B01L3/0234 take precedence) · CPC title