US1775109A - Centrifuge tube and spoon therefor - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 9, 1930. R. PICKER CENTRIFUGE TUBE AND SPOON THEREFOR Filed Feb; 20, 1929 mag- L Ow M42 v m Patented Sept. 9, 1930 PATENT OFFICE RODOLPHE PIGKER, OF BUDAPEST, HUNGARY GENTRIF'UGE TUBE AND SPOON THEREFOR' Application filed February 20, 1929, Serial No. 341,315, and in Germany February 25, 1928.

The invention relates to an apparatus of technical and scientific precision constituted by a special spoon collecting sediments precipitated by centrifugation from liquids irrespective of their nature and by an improved centrifuge-tube corresponding to the spoon invented and constructed especially for quantitative bacteriological investigation of urine, blood and othersecretions and liquids of the 1 body tak-en therefrom and put in the sterile apparatus by means of anaseptic operation and containing cells, bacteria and other particles suspended in. I y

' The practicalp'urpose of the invention is to enable that the following can be effected in an exact, rapidand completely sterile manner and without having to employ'an assistant for the purpose,viz.:

1. The preparation for and the operation of'centrifugation itsel tube for the purpose of bacteriological examination whatever kind,

8. As the chief purposeto transfer the '2. The removal of the sediment from the I sediments to the surface of solid culture soils for bacteria, even ifthe quantity of such sediments is very small and irrespective of their nature e. g. whether of purulent or of mucous kind.

These three points at the same time also define the scientific object of the invention which is to enable the investigator to make out exactly the total amount of sediment or bacteria contained in equal portions .of the original material, both in single and in setresearches. 7

'These objects are achieved by applying according the rules oflasepsis and bacteriology the apparatus, the two constituent parts of 4 which:

I. The improved centrifuge tube,

II. The spoon corresponding to it, represent the following shape, possess the following peculiarities and allow, each part for itself, to perform same and both together all operations particularized above and thus yield an apparatus of technical and scientific precision embodied by the drawing, its application being described hereinafter.

I. The improved tube is made of glass and shows the length and shape of the average tubes used in centrifugating liquids, its upper half being fashioned to the form of a cylinder, its lower half to the form of a conus. But it differs from the average type by the following peculiarities, allowing the following operations:

1. The brim of the improved tube has no border nor outward bend present in the average type, but is even end of the cylinder and is 2. Fitted with two short glass rods of adequate shape, starting at right angle from the brim and standing in diametrical opposition forming two ears or lugs, lacking in the average type. 1

3. The bottomof the conical part of the improved tube is wider than in the average type and is I 4. Fashioned to the form of a regular hemisphere, lacking in the average type.

These constructive peculiarities of the improved tube allow:

a. The inside of the tube to be cleaned perfectly by mechanical procedures, often diflicult to be done exactly in the average type.

b. The tube to be grasped by means of its lugs, to be put in the casing of the centrifuge and removed therefrom, without touchingits brim with the fingers, v I

0. To avoid all pollution of the tube and its contents from outward in performing the operations a,?), and exclude erroneous results of cultivation, very difficult to do so and impossible at all in using the average tubes andthe average technic and instruments of bacteriologic work.

(Z. To apply a spoon correspondingto the tube and use it for all operations to be done with, partly in connection with the tube and partly with the spoon for itself, impossible to be done without it, the spoon representing the following shape, possessing the following peculiarities and allowing the following:

II. The spoon is stamped out of one piece of metal, it shows the form of a ladle, its cup being semi-globular with a corresponding excavation and an even circular brim, its long handle being fiat, starting from thebrim of the cup standing nearly at right angle to its horizontal diameter, and ending in a book,

profile of its surface being absolutely equal to the diameter and profile ofthe hemispheric bottom of the improved tube, in which itis to be applied. M v

3. The handle is a flat, elastic stick, its

middle'section is easily curved" inwards, its

terminal section at halfway bends outward to form a narrow 'h em'icircle, then runs backwards close to the ascending leg andrends with a short arc curved outward, thus forming a long elastic hoolnacting as aclip. 7

These constructive peculiarities of the spoon allow':

a. A spoon of required capacity to be placed.

in a corresponding tube, I

I b. The spoon to make the cup close fit without a gapto' the bottom of the tube and to collect in its excavation all sediment precipitated-bycentrifugation from the liquid. I ,I I I 0. The spoon'to be fixed'durin'g the centrifugation, without interfering with the action of centrifugal force and during thev subsequent decantation of the overstanding liquid, d. The spoonto be lifted with the sediment in its cup without a erk from the centrifuge tube, grasping it by its hook, I

' e. The spoon to be introduced inthe test tube, containing the solid culture soil without loss of timeand to be fixed by means of the hook to its brimin the position wanted for transferring; the wholecontentof the cup to thesurface ofthe culture soil wanted for the special purpose, and that I f. The spoon to be removedfrom the test tube withoutthe content of: the'tube or cup having had contact with. the external world, impossible to. be done in using" the average tube, technic and instruments for centrifugation and bacteriological work following the centrif'ugation. I 1 V The drawing illustrates by way of example an embodiment of the invention and its application V I I i I I Figs. 1 and 2-are two-longitudinalsectional views-being takenQa-t right angles tozeach other-of the centrifuging tube fitted with a spoon, the top part ofthe tube being shown 1n V ew,

Fig. 8 is a view from above oflthe same;

I The lugs or ears'-2 of tube are formed by glass rods unitedby melting to the edge of the tube. The semiglobular shaped-cup 3 of the SPOOIlgyhiLS a cubic capacity of 0.1 O;2' centimetre cube Accord ing, to experience this is. sufiicientto collect the total amount, of mucous sedimentusually I obtainable front 10 centimetre cube of clear urine. In accordance with this size of the spooncup 3-, the tip of the tube 1-,'is a semi-globe of larger diameter asusual in centrifuge-tubes, in orderto allow cup 3- to fit without any gap to the bottom of the tube. The handle of the spoon fits the wall of" the tube at both ends, but in its middle part, notably at the point where the cylindrical part passes: into the conical part, it bends inwards, in order to permit bllGSPOOIl to follow the action .of centrifugal force. With the same. end in view, when cup 8 fits to the bottom, the top end of handle '4 reaches beyondthe edge of the tube, to the extent of a certain straight length, 'before bending to form hook -5. 'The endfl of hook 5- is bent outwards to a short are, to'facilitate its being hung-in." The hook holds the spoon secure, in the manner o'fa Y clip, against any motion along thecircumference of tube 1,'but it presents no obstacle against the longitudinal, motion of the handle under the action ofcentrifugalforce, and fixes the spoon containing the sediment, when after centrifugation the overstanding liquid is decanted. v I

- After centrifugatiomthetube can be lifted easilyfrom the casing ofthe apparatus, hold.-

ing it by its lugs or cars 2, and after the liquid has been decanted, the sediment, which has accumulated in the cavity of the spoon, can be transferred by aid or the, spoon, easily, quickly, in a sterile manner andcoinpletely (i. e. without any residue whatever) for the purpose of investigation, or further-treat ment, In case of transferenceto a solid culture'soil for bacteria- (agar slant). it is possible to fix the spoon by its hook -5, to the edge of. the test tube and thecontentsof the spoon can be transferred, without any resi- 7 due, and ,obsenvingthe rules of bacteriological researchin the most exact manner, to

the slant by means of a platinumloop: and after the removal of the :spoon, it can be spread out on the surfaceof the culture soil in a thin layer. s

If-a mark is provlded on the tube, corresponding to a cubic" volume of, say '5' or 10- centimetres cube, before centrifugation all kind of calibration is avoided,,- thus yielding considerable saving of time. a I

Ifwe use a tube on which further divisions, representing cubic centimetres are also marked, and the lowest division of which is furthermoredivi'ded into ten parts,v it becomes possible further'to effect a reading of the absolute quantitiesof the sediment, and it becomespossible, on the basis of the quantity of bacteria bred. from 0.1 cm. of sediment, to determine with full exactity thejabsolute amount of bacteria contained in the,

test sampleand inv the: material forming the ob ect. of the investigation. '3

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for collecting sediments therein by centrifugation, comprising a centrifuge tube and a spoon, said spoon including a cup adapted to conform to the bottom of said tube and ahandle, the handle having resilient means on its outer end engaging the edge of the tube to automatically hold the cup by spring action down in fluid-tight conformity with the bottom of the tube, whereby the sediment is prevented from settling in the tube outside the cup.

2. An apparatus for collecting sediments therein by centrifugation, comprising a centrifuge tube and a spoon, said spoon including a cup and a handle, the handle being continued parallel to the side of said tube at the top for a predetermined distance and then looped downwardly, the end of said handle being formed into a spring-clip engaging the outside of said tube, whereby the component of the centrifugal force acting downwardly on said spoon is accommodated by said looped extension without placing strain on the upper 5 edge of said tube.

3. An apparatus for collecting sediments therein by centrifugation, comprising a centrifuge tube and a spoon, said spoon including a cup and a handle, said handle having a portion sprung against the lower portion of the tube and against the upper portion of the tube, the intermediate portion of said handle being bowed inwardly to such an extent as to cause the bow to absorb the centrifugal force and straighten out to permit the spoon to follow the action of the centrifugal force.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature.

RODOLPHE PICKER.

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