Pipette for use with a pipette tip with an integrated plunger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022016618-A1
Application number	US-202117375568-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 14, 2021
Priority date	Jul 14, 2020
Publication date	Jan 20, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A pipette comprises a housing extending from a lower end to an upper end and a neck extending from the lower end of the housing and configured to hold a pipette tip. A stroke rod comprising an upper end and a lower end is configured to displace a tip plunger in the pipette tip. A drive apparatus is configured to displace the stroke rod to: (1) aspirate a liquid specimen into the pipette tip held on the neck; and (2) to eject the specimen from the pipette tip by means of a tip plunger positively connected to the stroke rod. At least one locking sleeve is arranged coaxially with the stroke rod and configured to be displaceably guided toward the stroke rod in the housing, The locking sleeve is configured to inhibit release of a tip plunger from the stroke rod.

First claim

1 . A pipette for use with a pipette tip with an integrated tip plunger, the pipette comprising:
a pipette housing extending from a lower end to an upper end; a neck extending from the lower end of the pipette housing and configured to hold a pipette tip; a stroke rod comprising an upper end and a lower end and configured to displace a tip plunger in the pipette tip, wherein the stroke rod comprises a receiving portion positioned at the lower end of the stroke rod and configured to receive an upper end of the tip plunger of the pipette tip that is held on the neck; a drive apparatus configured to displace the stroke rod to: (1) aspirate a liquid specimen into the pipette tip held on the neck; and (2) to eject the specimen. from the pipette tip by means of a tip plunger positively connected to the stroke rod; and at least one locking sleeve arranged coaxially with the stroke rod and configured to be displaceably guided toward the stroke rod in the pipette housing, wherein one of: (1) the at least one locking sleeve is configured to be moved into a locked position in which the at least one locking sleeve borders, on an outside, a lower end of the stroke rod that is configured to expand when the upper end of a tip plunger is inserted into a portion of the stroke rod; and (2) an upper end of the tip plunger is configured to expand when the lower end of the stroke rod is inserted into a portion of the tip plunger, wherein the locking sleeve is configured to inhibit release of a tip plunger from the stroke rod, and wherein the locking sleeve is configured to be displaced upward out of the locked position so that one of: (1) the stroke rod; and (2) the upper end of the tip plunger is at least partially released and the tip plunger is configured to be detached from the stroke rod.

2 . The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the stroke rod defines at least one slot running in a longitudinal direction, and wherein when the locking sleeve is in the locked position, the locking sleeve borders the stroke rod on an outside in at least one of: (1) a region of the slot; and (2) the locking sleeve.

3 . The pipette according to claim 2 , wherein when the stroke rod is in the locked position, the stroke rod is configured to border the tip plunger, wherein the tip plunger comprises at least one slot running in the longitudinal direction at the upper end and is connected to the stroke rod, and wherein the locking sleeve borders the tip plunger on an outside and in the region of the slot.

4 . The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the locking sleeve is connected to a first operating element that projects from the pipette housing, and wherein the first operating element is configured to be displaced relative to the pipette housing in order to displace the locking sleeve downward into the locked position and upward out of the locked position.

5 . The pipette according to claim 1 , further comprising an ejection apparatus comprising:
an ejection rod with an upper end and a lower end and configured to be guided inside an axial bore of the stroke rod to be displaceable in a longitudinal direction of the neck, and wherein the ejection rod is arranged with the lower end above the tip plunger when the tip plunger is connected to the stroke rod; and a second operating element connected to the ejection rod and configured to displace the ejection rod, wherein the ejection apparatus is configured to press the tip plunger off of the stroke rod and to press the pipette tip off of the neck by displacing the ejection rod downward when the locking sleeve at least partially releases one of: (1) the stroke rod; and (2) the upper end of the tip plunger.

6 . The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the neck is configured to positively connect to the pipette tip so that the pipette tip is pushed onto the neck with at least one of: (1) elastic constriction of the neck; and (2) elastic expansion of the pipette tip before being positively connected to the neck.

7 . The pipette according to claim 6 , further comprising at least one locking sleeve arranged coaxially with the neck and configured to be guided in the pipette housing toward the neck, wherein the at least one locking sleeve is configured to be displaced into a locked position in which the pipette tip one of: (1) borders a neck configured to be constricted by means of a pipette tip being pushed on; and (2) borders a pipette tip that is configured to be expanded by being pushed onto the neck.

8 . The pipette tip of claim 7 , wherein the locking sleeve inhibits release of the pipette tip that is positively connected to the neck form the neck, and wherein the locking sleeve is configured to be displaced upward out of the locked position so that at least one of: (1) the neck; and (2) the pipette tip is at least partially released and the pipette tip is configured to be detached from the neck.

9 . The pipette according to claim 8 , wherein the neck defines at least one slot running in a longitudinal direction and wherein at least one of: (1) when the locking sleeve is in the locked position, the locking sleeve borders the neck on an inside; and (2) when the locking sleeve is in the locked position, the locking sleeve is configured to border a pipette tip comprising at least one slot running in the longitudinal direction at the upper end and that is positively connected to the neck.

10 . The pipette according to claim 9 , wherein the locking sleeve is arranged between the stroke rod and the neck, wherein when the locking sleeve is in the locked position, the locking sleeve borders on an outside of one of (1) the lower end of the stroke rod; and (2) the upper end of the tip plunger, wherein at a same time the locking sleeve also borders the neck on the inside and inhibits release of a tip plunger positively connected to the stroke rod from the stroke rod, and wherein at the same time, the locking sleeve inhibits the release of a pipette tip from the neck.

11 . The pipette according to claim 5 , wherein the locking sleeve and the ejection rod are configured to connect to a gear apparatus, wherein the gear apparatus is configured to control displacement of the locking sleeve and the ejection rod in opposite directions when at least one operating element is actuated, wherein the tip plunger is positively connected to the stroke rod and is inhibited from being detached from the stroke rod by the ejection rod being displaced upward and the locking sleeve being displaced downward, and wherein the tip plunger is configured to be detached from the stroke rod and the pipette tip is configured to be detached from the neck by the locking sleeve being displaced upward and the ejection rod being displaced downward.

12 . The pipette according to claim 11 , wherein when the pipette tip is being pressed off, the gear apparatus is configured to first displace the locking sleeve upward and then configured to press the tip plunger off of the stroke rod and further configured to displace the pipette tip from the neck by displacing the ejection rod downward.

13 . The pipette according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one operating element controls the displacement of the locking sleeve and the displacement of the ejection rod.

14 . The pipette according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one operating element controls the drive apparatus.

15 . The pipette according to claim 1 , wherein the stroke rod is configured to connect to the tip plunger and wherein the tip plunger is configured to be inserted into a portion of the stroke rod prior to being coupled to the stroke rod, wherein the lower end of the stroke rod

Assignees

• Eppendorf Ag

Inventors

• Kunsch Matthias
• Reichmuth Burkhardt
• Link Holger

Classifications

• B01L3/0224 Primary

  having mechanical means to set stroke length, e.g. movable stops (B01L3/0231, B01L3/0234 take precedence) · CPC title

• B01L2200/141

  Preventing contamination, tampering · CPC title

• B01L3/0217 Primary

  of the plunger pump type · CPC title

• B01L2300/123

  Flexible; Elastomeric · CPC title