U.S. patent application number 11/061566 was filed with the patent office on 2005-08-25 for wrap device to facilitate handling of stacked slides or other stackable flat objects.
Invention is credited to Chouinard, Richard J., Cosby, N. Guy, Tremblay, David.
Application Number | 20050183391 11/061566 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34864007 |
Filed Date | 2005-08-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050183391 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chouinard, Richard J. ; et
al. |
August 25, 2005 |
Wrap device to facilitate handling of stacked slides or other
stackable flat objects
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a wrap device and to
methods of using a wrap device for facilitating manipulation of a
stack of slides or other stackable objects in order to remove the
stack from a packaging container and place within a hopper or other
dispensing container. When using the device and methods of the
present invention, no undue force is exerted on any particular
slide within the stack, thus minimizing the risks of breakage,
while stabilizing the stack such that "fanning" and slippage within
the stack is substantially prevented. Further, the invention may be
used to facilitate manipulation of a stack of slides without direct
contact between the slides and a user's hands.
Inventors: |
Chouinard, Richard J.;
(Dover, NH) ; Cosby, N. Guy; (Madbury, NH)
; Tremblay, David; (Rochester, NH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ANDRUS, SCEALES, STARKE & SAWALL, LLP
100 EAST WISCONSIN AVENUE, SUITE 1100
MILWAUKEE
WI
53202
US
|
Family ID: |
34864007 |
Appl. No.: |
11/061566 |
Filed: |
February 18, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60546046 |
Feb 19, 2004 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/399 ; 53/176;
53/447; 53/449; 53/540; 53/586 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 71/50 20130101;
B65D 71/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
053/399 ;
053/447; 053/449; 053/540; 053/586; 053/176 |
International
Class: |
B65B 013/02; B65B
035/50; B65B 011/58 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A device for facilitating the manipulation of a stack of
substantially flat stackable objects, said device comprising a
strip of flexible smooth material of sufficient length to at least
surround the stack, said strip having an attachment end for
releasably attaching said end to an attachment site on the strip
via a releasable attachment means, wherein said device is wrapped
around the stack so as to secure said objects within the stack and
to substantially eliminate slippage between the stacked objects
during manipulation of the stack.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein said stackable objects comprise
glass microscope slides and said stack comprises approximately 50
or more slides.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein said smooth material comprises
high-density polyethylene fibers or poly-paraphenylene
terephthalamide fibers.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein said releasable attachment means
comprises an adhesive.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein said releasable attachment means
comprises a mechanical means.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the length of said strip is
sufficient to surround the stack and to provide an additional area
for grasping the strip.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said
releasable attachment means is located on said attachment end.
8. The device of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said
releasable attachment means is located at the attachment site.
9. A method of securing a stack of stackable objects to facilitate
manipulation of the stack, said method comprising: wrapping the
stack with a strip of smooth material, said strip comprising an
attachment end, and releasably attaching said attachment end to an
attachment area on the strip via a releasable attachment means;
wherein upon wrapping, slippage between objects within the stack
during manipulation of the stack is substantially eliminated.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said stackable objects comprise
glass microscope slides and said stack comprises approximately 50
or more slides.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein said smooth material comprises
high-density polyethylene fibers or poly-paraphenylene
terephthalamide fibers.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein said releasable attachment means
comprises an adhesive material.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein said strip is of sufficient
length to wrap around the stack and to provide additional length
for grasping the strip manually.
14. The method of claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the
releasable attachment means is located on said attachment end.
15. The method of claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the
releasable attachment means is located at said attachment site.
16. A method of loading a stack of glass microscope slides into a
hopper for containing said stack of slides, the method comprising:
placing the stack of slides within the hopper, said stack having
been wrapped with a strip comprising a smooth material to secure
the slides within the stack and substantially eliminate slippage
between individual slides within the stack, said strip further
comprising an attachment end for releasable attachment to an
attachment area on the opposite side of said strip via a releasable
attachment means; releasing the attachment between the attachment
means and the attachment area; and pulling the strip away from the
stack so that the stack is completely freed from the strip.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said attachment means comprises
an adhesive.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein said smooth material comprises
high-density polyethylene fibers or poly-paraphenylene
terephthalamide fibers.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein said stack comprises about 50 or
more slides.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is based on and claims priority from
U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/546,046 filed Feb.
19, 2004.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a device that facilitates
the handling and/or transfer of a stack comprising a number of
substantially flat, stackable objects including, but not limited
to, microscope slides, plates, trays, and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A variety of automated or semi-automated instruments exist
that require manual loading of multiple slides or other stackable
devices into some sort of dispensing container, hopper, or
magazine-like structure designed to hold a stack of devices, for
example, a stack of about 50 or more microscope slides. Typically,
it is difficult to load more than just a few slides at a time by
hand into a standard slide hopper due to the tendency of slides
within a stack to slip against each other near the middle of the
stack. However, the ability to transfer significant numbers of
slides, as in a stack of 50 to 100 or more slides, at one time
would decrease the amount of time and labor required for loading.
Further, since contact of slides with oils, proteins, enzymes,
powder and other contaminants on hands or gloves can produce
fingerprints, smudges, and/or preparation artifacts, a method of
transfer that minimizes manual contact is beneficial in terms of
the performance of the slides.
[0004] When a stack of slides is manipulated or moved, care must be
taken to avoid "fanning" the stack and to avoid slippage in the
middle of the stack. The application of sufficient pressure on the
top and bottom of the stack may avoid such mishaps; however, too
much pressure can lead to breakage. Therefore it is advantageous to
spread the pressure more uniformly over the stack and/or make use
of other stabilizing features besides pressure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention is directed to devices and methods for
facilitating manipulation of a stack of slides, or other stackable
objects (referred to collectively as "slides"), to remove the stack
from a packaging container and place within a hopper or other
dispensing container. When using the device and methods of the
present invention, no undue force is exerted on any particular
slide within the stack, thus minimizing the risks of breakage,
while stabilizing the stack such that "fanning" and slippage within
the stack is substantially prevented. Further, the invention may be
used to facilitate manipulation of a stack of slides without direct
contact between the slides and a user's hands.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the device
of the invention as oriented on a packaging container prior to
packaging slides.
[0007] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG.
1 with slides filling the packaging container.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment illustrating
a wrap device comprising a strip wrapped around a stack of slides
in a packaging container.
[0009] FIG. 4 shows a further view of the embodiment of FIG. 3 with
the excess portion of the strip folded to fit the packaging
container.
[0010] FIG. 5 illustrates a method of removing a stack of slides
from a packaging container using the device of the present
invention.
[0011] FIG. 6 shows the placement of an entire stack of slides at
once into an exemplary hopper.
[0012] FIG. 7 illustrates a method of releasing the attachment
formed between the attachment means and the attachment site on the
wrap device.
[0013] FIG. 8 shows a method of removing the wrap device from a
stack of slides via a pulling force applied to one end of the
device.
[0014] FIG. 9 shows a stack of slides freed from the wrap device
and contained within an exemplary hopper.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, the invention is a wrap device 2
comprising a strip of flexible, smooth material with adequate
strength and toughness to resist unintentional breaking, tearing
and cutting when used as described herein. Suitable materials
include Tyvek.RTM. made from high density polyethylene fibers or
Kevlar.RTM. made from poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide fibers
(both trademarks of E.I. duPont de Nemours Company), as well as
nylon, plastic polymers, paper and the like. The material is
preferably non-woven, but certain woven materials may be
appropriate if the woven fibers are sufficiently fine so as not to
abrade the edges of the slides or other stacked objects. It is
likewise advantageous that the material used to make the wrap
device 2 be dust-free and/or lint-free so as not to leave debris on
the stacked objects.
[0016] The wrap device 2 is formed by any number of methods
including cutting strips from sheets, or drawing, or molding. The
width of the wrap device 2 is sufficient to stabilize movement and
prevent "fanning" of slides. For a standard microscope slide
(approximately 3 inches in length), a strip of about 1.0 to 2.5
inches in width is suitable, with 1.5-2.0 inches preferred.
[0017] Referring to an embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an attachment
means is provided at an attachment site 4 for securing an
attachment end 5 of the wrap device 2 when the device is later
wrapped around a stack of slides. An exemplary attachment means is
an adhesive, for example, double-sided tape. A preferred method of
making a wrap device 2 is to cut an appropriate length of the
device material and then apply approximately 1-2 inches of
double-sided adhesive tape (such as any of the double-sided types
provided by 3M Corporation) at the attachment site 4.
Alternatively, one may apply a suitable adhesive by brushing,
rolling, spraying or the like, to an area on the wrap device 2 to
serve as an attachment site 4. The selected adhesive must be
capable of securing the attachment end 5 in a releasable manner.
The wrap device 2 is placed in a packaging container 6 with the
adhesive side up, as shown in FIG. 1, for receiving slides. In an
alternative embodiment, adhesive is placed at an attachment end 5
of the wrap device 2; for this alternative embodiment, it is
preferable to place the wrap device 2 in the container 6 with the
adhesive side down. One advantage of applying adhesive to an
attachment end 5 of a wrap device 2 is that a single length of
strip is adjustable according to the size of the stack and, thus,
is usable with stacks containing variable numbers of slides 8.
[0018] Referring FIGS. 2 and 3, in a preferred embodiment, the
length of the wrap device 2 is sufficient to wrap around the stack
of slides 8 with additional length provided to form an excess end
10. In use, the attachment end 5 of the wrap device 2 is attached
at an attachment site 4 on the wrap device 2, with the additional
length at the excess end 10 serving as a tab for grasping the
wrapped stack of slides 8. Further, the excess end 10 of the wrap
device 2 can be used for containing printed instructions, product
logos/trademarks, and/or other disclosure. A wrap device 2 with a
length ranging from 10 to 15 inches is preferred for handling stack
of about 50 to 100 standard microscope slides, but lengths outside
this range may be more suitable for other purposes. An approximate
suitable length for a wrap device 2 is determined as the summation
of: 2a+2b+c, where "a" is the maximum height of the stack, "b" is
the width of the stack, and "c" is an allowance for the excess end
10.
[0019] As an alternative to adhesive, mechanical methods of
attaching the attachment end 5 of the wrap device 2 to an
attachment site 4 can be used. For example, mechanisms such as
snaps, clips, hooks, molded catches and/or a "hook-and-loop"
material such as Velcro.RTM. (trademark of Velcro Industries B.V.)
are suitable for achieving a releasable attachment. The use of
certain mechanisms may require that attachment means be placed at
the attachment end 5 and at the attachment site 4 of the wrap
device 2, thereby limiting the use of the wrap device 2 to a
particular stack size. Mechanical means are affixed to the wrap
device 2 through any number of methods known in the art including,
but not limited to, gluing, welding and sewing.
[0020] Another alternative means of attachment is "tacking", such
as heat tacking, to create a weak seal between an attachment end 5
of the wrap device 2 and an attachment site 4 on the wrap device 2
at the site of overlap. If tacking is used, the bond formed must be
"releasable" without undue demand for strength on the part of the
user.
[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the invention contemplates
placement of the wrap device 2 around a stack of slides 8 during
packaging. For example, referring again to FIG. 1, a wrap device 2
is placed over an open packaging container 6 of the type typically
used to package a stack of slides 8 for shipping and/or storage,
such that both ends of the wrap device 2 are significantly outside
the container 6. Also, the length of the wrap device 2 is placed
across the container 6 so as to be perpendicular to the long axis
of the microscope slides 8. Referring to FIG. 2, the slides 8, when
placed in the container 6, rest upon a portion of the flexible wrap
device 2 along the bottom of the container 6, while the ends 5, 10
of the wrap device 2 remain outside of the container 6.
Alternatively, the wrap device 2 may be placed around a stack of
slides 8 prior to placement of the stack within a container 6.
[0022] In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the wrap
device 2 is wrapped snugly around the stack of slides 8 so that an
attachment end 5 is attached to an attachment site 4 on the
opposite side of the wrap device 2 to form a releasable adhesion
site 12 thereby securing the slides 8 in a tight stack. Preferably,
the excess end 10 of the wrap device 2 is folded to fit within the
container 6 as shown in FIG. 4.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 5, the stack of slides 8 is removed from
the packaging container 6 without need for contact between the
slides 8 and a user's hands by grasping the wrap device 2 by its
excess end 10 or elsewhere on the wrap device 2 and tilting the
container 6 to facilitate removal of the stack of slides 8.
Further, the stack of slides 8 is placed within a dispensing
magazine or hopper 14 without need for contact between the slides 8
and the user's hands, by placing fingers or other means of
mechanically grasping the stack so that they contact the wrap
device 2 as shown in FIG. 6.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 7, when the stack of slides 8 is contained
within the hopper 14, the wrap device 2 is removed by releasing the
adhesive contact through a gentle tugging force exerted on the
excess end 10 of the wrap device 2, countered by downward pressure
exerted on the stack of slides 8 by a user's finger or any other
suitable device. As shown in FIG. 8, a pulling force applied to the
excess end 10 of the wrap device 2 in a relatively smooth motion is
used to free the wrap device 2 while the stack of slides 8 remains
within the hopper 14 as shown in FIG. 9.
[0025] The invention is not limited to use with microscope slides
and can be used with other stacked articles including, but not
limited to, plates, dishes, lids, and the like. Although the
invention has been described with reference to particular
embodiments, those skilled in the art can appreciate that
variations and modifications can be substituted without
substantially departing from the spirit of the invention.
* * * * *