Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for aliquotting phases of blood

US5413246A · kind A · utility

26Cited by
43References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 5, 1993
Grant dateMay 9, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 5, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2035/103
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A disposable apparatus to dispense an amount of liquid from a closed container such as a stoppered blood collection tube. The apparatus comprises a stopper piercing means to access the interior of a closed blood collection tube; a gas passage means to allow a metered amount of gas to be forced into the blood collection tube; and, a liquid passage means to allow fluid to be dispensed from the tube in proportion to the amount of gas forced into the tube. Also disclosed is a machine which uses a disposable apparatus to dispense liquid from a sequence of closed blood collection tubes in an automated manner. Liquid contained within a blood collection tube is dispensed from the tube by a control means according to signals indicative of the amount of liquid within the tube and the amount of liquid that is desired to be dispensed. A manually operated machine that uses the disposable apparatus to dispense a sample of liquid from a closed blood collection tube is also described.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.