Injection molded tray for blood collection tubes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9789487-B2
Application number	US-201314420547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2013
Priority date	Aug 16, 2012
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A tray for holding a plurality of blood collection tubes is disclosed. The tray includes a deck portion, a sidewall portion disposed about at least a portion of a perimeter of the deck portion, a first well defined within the deck portion and a second well defined within the deck portion, with each well configured to receive a blood collection tube therein. Each well defines an aperture therein and the tray includes at least one structural rib interconnecting the first well and the second well without extending into an aperture of the first well or the second well. The tray may include a plurality of wells, each well defining an aperture therein, and a plurality of structural ribs, each structural rib interconnecting at least a portion of the plurality of wells without extending into an aperture of any of the wells.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tray for holding a plurality of blood collection tubes, the tray comprising:
a deck portion;
a sidewall portion disposed about at least a portion of a perimeter of the deck portion;
a first well defined within the deck portion and a second well defined within the deck portion, each well including a sidewall adapted to receive at least a portion of a blood collection tube therein, the sidewall extending from the deck portion toward a bottom surface of the tray and forming a curved bottom portion, the curved bottom portion of each well defining an aperture therein;
at least one structural rib interconnecting the first well and the second well and extending from the deck portion along the sidewall of each well to the curved bottom portion of each well without extending into the aperture of either of the first well or the second well; and
at least one pooling portion extending partially from the deck portion toward the bottom surface of the tray forming an area of increased strength relative to the deck portion located adjacent to the at least one pooling portion.

2. The tray of claim 1 , wherein the deck portion, the sidewall portion, the first well, the second well, and the at least one structural rib are co-formed.

3. The tray of claim 1 , wherein the tray is formed of injection molded polymeric material.

4. The tray of claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion of each well is substantially semispherical.

5. The tray of claim 4 , wherein the substantially semispherical bottom portion comprises a truncated region.

6. The tray of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of wells, each well defining an aperture therein, and a plurality of structural ribs, each structural rib interconnecting at least a portion of the plurality of wells without extending into an aperture of any of the wells.

7. The tray of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of structural ribs comprises at least one inter-well rib and at least one sidewall portion-connecting rib.

8. The tray of claim 7 , wherein the inter-well rib is defined along a first plane and the sidewall portion-connecting rib is defined along a second plane, the first plane being different from the second plane.

9. The tray of claim 8 , wherein the first plane and the second plane are non-parallel.

10. The tray of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of structural ribs comprises at least one rib disposed along a first plane, at least one rib disposed along a second plane, at least one rib disposed along a third plane, and at least one rib disposed along a fourth plane, wherein each of the first plane, the second plane, the third plane, and the fourth plane are non-parallel to the other of the first plane, the second plane, the third plane, and the fourth plane.

11. The tray of claim 1 , wherein the at least one structural rib is disposed along a first plane, and further comprising a second structural rib disposed along a second plane, wherein the at least one structural rib and the second structural rib each contact a common well.

12. The tray of claim 1 , wherein the at least one structural rib is disposed on an underside of the deck portion.

13. A tray for holding a plurality of blood collection tubes, the tray comprising:
a deck portion having an underside;
a sidewall portion disposed about at least a portion of a perimeter of the deck portion;
a plurality of wells defined within the deck portion, each well including a sidewall adapted to receive at least a portion of a blood collection tube therein, the sidewall extending from the deck portion toward a bottom surface of the tray and forming a curved bottom portion having a bottom surface;
at least one structural rib interconnecting at least two of the plurality of wells, wherein the at least one structural rib extends from the deck portion along the sidewall of each well to the curved bottom portion of each well; and
at least one pooling portion extending partially from the deck portion toward the bottom surface of the tray forming an area of increased strength relative to the deck portion located adjacent to the at least one pooling portion.

14. The tray of claim 13 , wherein the tray is formed of injection molded polymeric material.

15. The tray of claim 13 , wherein each well defines an aperture therein, and the at least one structural rib connects at least two of the plurality of wells without extending into the aperture of either well.

16. The tray of claim 13 , further comprising a plurality of structural ribs having at least one inter-well rib and at least one sidewall portion-connecting rib.

17. The tray of claim 16 , wherein the inter-well rib is defined along a first plane and the sidewall portion-connecting rib is defined along a second plane, and the first plane is non-parallel to the second plane.

18. A tray for holding a plurality of blood collection tubes, the tray comprising:
a deck portion having an underside;
a sidewall portion disposed about at least a portion of a perimeter of the deck portion;
a plurality of wells defined within the deck portion, each well including a sidewall configured to receive at least a portion of a blood collection tube therein, the sidewall extending from the deck portion toward a bottom surface of the tray and forming a curved bottom portion;
a first plurality of structural ribs interconnecting at least a portion of the plurality of wells, wherein each rib of the first plurality of structural ribs extends between the underside of the deck along the sidewall of each well to the curved bottom portion of each well;
a second plurality of structural ribs interconnecting at least a portion of the plurality of wells and the sidewall portion, wherein each rib of the second plurality of structural ribs extends between the underside of the deck and the sidewall portion; and
at least one pooling portion extending partially from the deck portion toward the bottom surface of the tray forming an area of increased strength relative to the deck portion located adjacent to the at least one pooling portion.

19. The tray of claim 18 , wherein the tray is formed of injection molded polymeric material.

20. The tray of claim 18 , wherein each well defines an aperture therein, and wherein each rib of the first plurality of structural ribs connects at least two of the plurality of wells without extending into the aperture of either well.

21. The tray of claim 18 , wherein each of the structural ribs of the second plurality of structural ribs interconnects at least one well of the plurality of wells and a portion of the sidewall portion.

22. The tray of claim 18 , wherein each of the structural ribs of the first plurality of structural ribs interconnects at least two of the plurality of wells.

Assignees

• Becton Dickinson Co

Inventors

• Karpiloff Kenneth
• Iskra Michael
• Lusardi Gregory L

Classifications

• B01L2300/0858

  Side walls · CPC title

• B01L2300/0829

  Multi-well plates; Microtitration plates · CPC title

• B01L2200/12

  Specific details about manufacturing devices · CPC title

• B01L9/06 Primary

  Test-tube stands; Test-tube holders · CPC title

• B01L2300/0851

  Bottom walls · CPC title