Reaction vessel and apparatus and method for opening and closing a reaction vessel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9821313-B2
Application number	US-201113820960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2011
Priority date	Oct 29, 2010
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

A method and apparatus for opening a reaction vessel having a body forming a volume for liquid, and a lid. In the method at least one reaction vessel is placed on a transport vehicle and the reaction vessel is positioned on the vehicle so that the vessel's rotation about its own axis is prevented. Then, the at least one reaction vessel is transferred on the vehicle and a guide rod, attached to the lid that is attached by a hinge to the reaction vessel, is pushed by the movement of the vehicle against a guide surface that forces the lid to turn on the hinge so that the lid is at least partially opened.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for opening a reaction vessel that has a body forming a volume for liquid, and a lid attached to the reaction vessel and having a guide rod attached to the lid, the apparatus comprising:
a base;
an actuator mounted on the base for providing movement;
a transport vehicle mounted on the base for movement relative to the base in response to the actuator;
at least one seat associated with the transport vehicle for receiving a reaction vessel, the at least one seat having a guide slot for preventing rotation of the reaction vessel relative to the at least one seat; and
at least one stationary guide surface comprising an immobilized guide piece is/are fixed relative to the base and arranged to engage with the guide rod attached to the lid, wherein when the reaction vessel is placed in the at least one seat and transferred by the transport vehicle along a path such that the guide rod engages with the guide surface, the lid is rotated around a hinge connecting the lid to the reaction vessel in response to the engagement of the guide rod with the guide surface.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the actuator is mounted on the base for providing rotary movement and has an axle,
the transport vehicle comprises a rotor disk mounted on the axle for rotary movement, and
the at least one guide surface is arranged to engage with the guide rod attached to the lid when the reaction vessel is placed in the at least one seat and rotated by the rotor disk along the path such that the guide rod engages with the guide surface so that the lid is rotated around the hinge connecting the lid to the reaction vessel.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a first guide surface is positioned relative to a path of the reaction vessel to engage with the guide rod to open the lid and a second guide surface is positioned relative to the path of the reaction vessel to engage with a surface of the lid to close the lid, and wherein the first guide surface and the second guide surface form the guide piece.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the guide piece is made of a rod.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein at least one of the first or second guide surfaces comprises a groove.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the guide piece is made of one single piece.

7. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the rotor disk comprises at least two seats for at least two reaction vessels, at least one of the two seats being moveable to a loading position for placing and removing a reaction vessel on the rotor disk with the lid in a closed position, and another of the at least two seats being moveable to a sampling position for taking liquid from the vessel with the lid in an at least partially open position.

Assignees

• Nuotio Vesa
• Siidorov Juhani
• Kukkonen Sami
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Oy

Inventors

• Nuotio Vesa
• Siidorov Juhani
• Kukkonen Sami

Classifications

• B01L2200/142

  Preventing evaporation · CPC title

• B01L2300/043

  Hinged closures · CPC title

• G01N35/04 Primary

  Details of the conveyor system {(G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B01L2300/0841

  Drums · CPC title

• B65D83/00

  Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents (dispensing means incorporated in closures B65D47/00) · CPC title