U.S. patent application number 13/687092 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-29 for endless chain frozen vial storage module.
The applicant listed for this patent is Maxim Didenko, Michael Paul Henne, Vladimir Lebedev. Invention is credited to Maxim Didenko, Michael Paul Henne, Vladimir Lebedev.
Application Number | 20140145574 13/687092 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50772620 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140145574 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Henne; Michael Paul ; et
al. |
May 29, 2014 |
Endless Chain Frozen Vial Storage Module
Abstract
A modular freezer unit comprising a movable portion such as a
belt, track, or chain connected to a plurality of wells, each well
capable of containing materials to be stored in the freezer is
disclosed. The unit further comprises a tracking means such as a
bar-code, or radio-frequency identification reader that is capable
of reading suitable tags on each container of materials stored in a
well. A motor that operates to move selected wells to an access
point in response to user input may be integral to the unit, or
otherwise connected to the movable portion. The access point can be
opened by a user so that the entire freezer does not have to be
opened in order for materials to be placed therein or removed. The
unit may upload information about its contents to a database so
samples from multiple units can be tracked.
Inventors: |
Henne; Michael Paul;
(Frederick, MD) ; Lebedev; Vladimir; (Frederick,
MD) ; Didenko; Maxim; (Germantown, MD) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Henne; Michael Paul
Lebedev; Vladimir
Didenko; Maxim |
Frederick
Frederick
Germantown |
MD
MD
MD |
US
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50772620 |
Appl. No.: |
13/687092 |
Filed: |
November 28, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/234.1 ;
312/236 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 13/06 20130101;
A47B 2210/175 20130101; F25D 2700/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
312/234.1 ;
312/236 |
International
Class: |
F25D 25/02 20060101
F25D025/02; A47B 81/00 20060101 A47B081/00 |
Claims
1. A drawer which is suited for placement within a refrigerated
unit comprising a front panel, a back panel, a left panel, a right
panel, a bottom panel, and a top panel wherein the front panel
comprises an insulated material and further comprises an access
point; said access point comprising a movable door that allows a
user to access the interior of the access point; said drawer
further comprising an outer surface and an inner compartment; said
drawer also further comprising a plurality of storage wells capable
of movement along a closed-loop path contained within said inner
compartment.
2. The drawer of claim 1 further comprising a scanning means
capable of identifying tags or codes placed on items which are
placed in one of the said wells and correlating this identification
data with the items' location data in relation to said closed-loop
track.
3. The drawer of claim 1 wherein an actuator means for causing the
movement of said storage wells along said path acts is controlled
by a computer interface accessible by the user.
4. The drawer of claim 2 in which said location information and the
said identification data is correlated to additional information
about the contents of said items placed in said wells in a database
accessible remotely from the refrigerated unit or it's constituent
drawers.
Description
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
[0001] Applicant claims priority to Non-provisional application
number #61/614,227 filed on, or about, Mar. 3, 2012 entitled
"Endless Chain Frozen Vial Storage Module."
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The subject matter of this application relates to modular
units ("unit" or "units") that can be reversibly inserted into a
freezer so that the materials housed in the units are held at the
temperature of the freezer. The units comprise front, back, bottom,
top, right and left sides. The units can be placed inside a freezer
and locked in place so that the front side of the unit forms a
portion of the external face of said freezer. The front side of the
unit comprises an access point that can be opened to permit limited
access to the contents of the unit. The units further contain a
plurality of wells connected to a means for moving a selected well
to the access point. Further, the units may further comprise a
tracking means such as a bar-code, or Radio-frequency
identification reader that can scan appropriate tags on the
contents of each well and upload this information to a database so
that the location of a specific item can be remotely tracked.
[0003] Specifically, the disclosed units are most commonly used in
laboratories to contain samples of materials that need to be stored
at temperatures lower than those encountered in a typical kitchen
freezer, often as low as -20.degree. C. or -80.degree. C.
Consequently, these freezers require more energy, and are more
expensive to operate than the usual household freezer. The escape
of cold air when these freezers are opened can cause temperature
fluctuations and require additional energy to bring the freezer
back to it's target operating temperature when closed.
BACKGROUND
[0004] Chemical reaction rates slow as the temperature drops. That
simple maxim explains why car batteries sometimes fail in cold
temperatures, and why refrigerated food spoils much more slowly
than that stored at room temperature. If one has stored milk, or
another more sensitive foodstuff on the door of a refrigerator, one
may have noticed that the temperature irregularity encountered by
food stored in the door decreases the life of the foodstuff.
[0005] A lack of temperature consistency due to opening the door of
a refrigeration unit can be bothersome and wasteful if it results
in milk spoiling faster or in ice cream forming crystals, but it
can be disastrous when encountered in scientific laboratory freezer
units that may house several hundred thousand dollars worth of
biological or chemical samples, many of which may be
irreplaceable.
[0006] Freezers used for storing delicate scientific samples often
house those samples in racks containing boxes comprising several
dividers so that samples stored in microcentrifuge tubes or similar
vessels can be organized therein. In practice, a scientist or
laboratory technologist would prepare samples and carry them to a
freezer, which would need to be opened, releasing some of the
chilled air, while the person located the rack containing the box
appropriate for containing the samples. In practice, the
temperature of the freezer may increase several degrees while the
person locates the appropriate place to place the samples. The time
that the freezer is open can be greater when the user has to locate
samples to be removed. Occasionally, the time needed to keep a
freezer open can extend for several minutes if the samples to be
removed are located in several different boxes in different racks,
or if the sample tubes or boxes were moved. Where multiple users
require access to the same freezer, the problems associated with
locating a specific sample can increase if people move the racks or
boxes to accommodate their individual storage needs. Further,
manually updating a schematic of where each sample is located
introduces the possibility of human error causing the position of
samples to be misstated.
[0007] Some designs of freezer automation are known in the art. The
following is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of prior art
patents, but merely demonstrative of the types of patents in the
refrigerator-automation art. Certainly, other art exists.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,055 to Shapley et al., discloses a
tunnel-type freezer using a belt suitable for containing
un-packaged products and keeping them separate.
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,162 to Lang et al., discloses a food
freezer using an endless conveyor belt that has a straight path
portion, and a helical portion, so that the transition between
these portions is smooth.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,810 to Fenty, discloses a conveyor that
moves food products along a helical path in a freezer.
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,301, also to Fenty is a division of his
'810 patent.
[0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,715 to Lang discloses another helical
conveyor refrigeration system comprising mechanical and cryogenic
cooling apparatus that reduces moisture loss during the freezing
process.
[0013] U.S. Pat. No. 7,716,935B2 to Kim et al., discloses a
refrigerator comprising a number of storage portions and a system
for tracking either food in the storage portions, or the portions
themselves and, inter alia, adjusting storage conditions within
each portion.
[0014] U.S. Pat. No. 7,680,691B2 to Kimball and Leonard discloses
an inventory management system using RFID tags placed on the items
to be tracked. The claims, in particular, are drawn towards
monitoring and managing perishable food products.
SUMMARY
[0015] The subject matter of this application is semi-automated
object retrieval and storage devices. In particular, the subject
matter discloses a modular freezer unit that can be reversibly
attached to a freezer and which comprises a plurality of wells
placed on a belt, track, chain or similar movement means so that
the position of the wells can be moved in response to user input
controlling a motor operating on the movement means. Further, the
modular freezer unit comprises a access point which a user can open
to retrieve, or place, materials into a well or wells. A bar-code
reader, a radio-frequency identification reader, or similar
scanning means is present in the modular freezer unit. Materials
placed in the freezer are marked in a manner than can be detected
by unit's scanning means. Following the placement or removal of
materials into the freezer via the access point, all of the
readable marks on the materials are scanned by the scanning means
to confirm the contents of the unit. This data on the location of
specific samples can be uploaded to a database.
[0016] It is an object of the subject matter of this application to
provide a modular unit that can be reversibly attached to a larger
storage rack, such as may be integrated into an upright
refrigerator or freezer, so that materials inside the unit are
cooled to equilibrium with the rest of the cooling unit when the
unit is attached to the freezer.
[0017] It is a further object of the subject matter of this
application to provide a semi-automated manner of moving materials
inside the modular unit so that materials to be retrieved can be
moved to an access point so that the entire cooling unit does not
have to be opened, further, spaces available to hold materials in
the freezer can be moved to the access point. In this manner,
energy costs are reduced by reducing the opening of the cooling
until to a small space, and by largely eliminating the need to
search within a cooling unit for the desired materials.
[0018] It is yet a further object of the subject matter of this
application to provide a modular unit equipped with a scanning
means so that materials stored in a modular unit can be indexed and
their location tracked in a searchable database.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the modular
unit.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the
modular unit with the door to the access point closed.
[0021] FIG. 3 is cut-away top view of an embodiment of the modular
unit, showing the internal components.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a cut-away front view of an embodiment of the
modular unit, showing the internal components.
[0023] FIG. 5 is an illustration of several units reversibly
installed into a refrigerated cabinet.
[0024] FIG. 6 is an illustration of a user accessing stored samples
within an embodiment of the modular unit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0025] The following description and drawings referenced therein
illustrate an embodiment of the application's subject matter. They
are not intended to limit the scope. Those familiar with the art
will recognize that other embodiments of the disclosed method are
possible. All such alternative embodiments should be considered
within the scope of the application's claims.
[0026] Each reference number consists of three digits. The first
digit corresponds to the figure number in which that reference
number is first shown. Reference numbers are not necessarily
discussed in the order of their appearance in the figures.
[0027] This application discloses a modular unit (the "unit")
suitable for insertion into and removal from a refrigerated
cabinet. In a preferred embodiment, the unit has a front panel
(101), a back panel (102), a right panel (103), a left panel (104),
a bottom panel (105), and a top panel (106), each said panel having
an inner surface and an outer surface, and the panels forming a
cuboid having an inner compartment. Tracks (107) may be located on
the outer surface of one or more of the unit's panels so that said
tracks interact with other tracks located on the refrigerated
cabinet to guide the unit into place. A reversible locking
mechanism may be located either on the unit itself, or may be
located on the refrigerated cabinet to hold the unit in place in
the refrigerated cabinet. In most embodiments, the back, right,
left, bottom, and top panels of the unit may be constructed of a
thermal conducting material to allow for the inner compartment of
the unit to reach thermal equilibrium with the interior of the
refrigerated cabinet. In most useful embodiments, the unit's front
panel is comprised of a thermal insulating material suitable for
the door of the refrigerated cabinet. Embodiments of the unit may
also comprise a wireless or wired networking means to allow the
upload of data to a real or virtual computer; further, the unit may
comprise an electrical conduit coupling means (111) capable of
reversible coupling with the refrigerated cabinet . In a preferred
embodiment, the unit's front panel further comprises a interface
(108) controlling the mechanics contained within the unit. This
interface may be a touch-screen, keyboard, or other suitable
data-input means. Other embodiments may be controlled through a
single such interface on the refrigerated cabinet, or may be
controlled remotely via a wired, or wireless network.
[0028] All useful embodiments of the unit further comprise a
user-accessible access point (109, 201) located on the unit's front
panel's outer surface that allows a user to have access to a
portion of the unit's inner compartment. In one embodiment , the
access point is located in a outward protuberance of the unit's
front panel (201) and comprises a door (202) that can be opened to
allow access by a user (601). In another embodiment the access
point (109) is flush with the outer surface of the unit's front
panel (101) when its access door (110) is closed. Other embodiments
of the access point may exist, and all should be considered to be
within the scope of this application.
[0029] The unit's inner compartment comprises a plurality of wells
(301) suited for the containment of the materials (302) placed
within the refrigerated cabinet. Most commonly, the wells would be
of a size intended to hold a 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tube, although
other embodiments may have wells of other dimensions appropriate
for their intended contents.
[0030] The wells are mounted on a closed-loop (303) suspended
within the unit by motorized or non-motorized wheels (304). The
wheels also change the direction of the closed-loop means to
maximize the length of the closed-loop that can be held within a
unit. In one preferred embodiment the closed-loop is a roller chain
and the wheels are sprockets. In all useful embodiments, a motor
(305) acts in response to commands entered via the interface (108)
on at least one of the wheels to cause the closed-loop to move. In
one embodiment, the motor is a step motor that is located within
the unit's inner compartments. In other embodiments, the motor may
be partially, or completely, located outside of the unit but still
act on at least one wheel to cause the closed-loop to move. In one
useful embodiment, a portion of the closed-loop is blank, as it
either contains no wells. When not in use, the motor acts to
position the blank portion within the access point (110, 201) to
ensure that samples are not stored for prolonged periods within the
access point. It should be evident that other designs of the
closed-loop system described, such as a slotted track system, could
be readily grasped by those with familiarity of the relevant arts.
Such differences should be considered within the scope of this
application and its claims.
[0031] Most useful embodiments of the unit further comprise a
scanning means (306) located within the unit's inner compartment.
In a most preferred embodiment, the scanning means is a
radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader although other
scanning means could also be used.
[0032] In use, multiple units can be placed in a single
refrigerated cabinet (501) so that the units' front panels (101)
are flush with one another, thereby forming a wall of the
refrigerated cabinet. Individual units can be removed as needed,
and replaced with other units, or by lower-cost, stand alone front
panels, to allow for the movement of whole units without
compromising the temperature inside the refrigerated cabinet. In
those cases in which the access points are located in outward
protuberances (201) of a unit's front panel, those protuberances
may be staggered so that the door (202) for each access point can
be opened without interfering with another protuberance.
[0033] One typical workflow for an individual using the units would
involve the user placing samples of materials to be cooled in
microcentrifuge tubes and placing tags, such as RFID tags, on each
tube. One would then scan the RFID tag with a reader that is
connected to a computer or touchscreen interface and enter relevant
identifying information into a database such as, inter alia: date
of creation, date of expiration, experiment identification, and
tube contents. This information may be stored locally, or uploaded
to a centralized database capable of being accessed remotely. The
most useful workflows will use a centrally accessible database.
[0034] The user would take the samples to a refrigerated cabinet
and enter the number of samples to be placed in a unit into the
local interface. This may be entered on a single unit, if the
embodiment is one wherein each unit comprises its own interface; or
it may be entered on an interface located on, or near, or perhaps
even far from, the refrigerated unit.
[0035] If the unit contains no other samples, the motor engages and
turns the wheel, causing wells to move to the access point, which
is opened by the user. When the microcentrifuge tubes are placed in
the well, the access point is closed. At that point, the motor
engages and causes the entire length of the closed-loop, and
therefore, all the wells, and microcentrifuge tubes to move past
the scanning means. The scanning means detects the tag or code on
each microcentrifuge tube and updates the database with location
data corresponding to each tag.
[0036] The database therefore contains information about the
contents of each microcentrifuge tube, as well as information about
the tube's position in the unit, and optimally, with information
about the exact unit's position in the refrigerated cabinet, and
the location of the refrigerated cabinet. The database also
contains data on what wells in any unit are available to hold
materials.
[0037] In the likely event that a user approaches a refrigerated
cabinet with a number of tubes greater than the available
contiguous open space, the database can send a series of commands
to the unit to move as many non-continuous free wells are needed to
the unit's access point of a unit. If not all of the materials can
go into a single unit, multiple units made be used to hold all the
microcentrifuge tubes. Since the entirety of the samples are
scanned when the access point is closed and position data is
updated as sample move past the scanning means, there is no need to
rearrange samples so that they are in any particular order, the
database will always be able to find a selected sample. In fact, if
one changes the position of a sample, for whatever reason, this
will be detected and the database updated. For centralized
databases, connecting multiple refrigerated cabinets across the
world, the location of particular microcentrifuge tube could be
accessed from anywhere in the world, and even brought to the access
point.
[0038] The process of accessing one or more samples is somewhat
similar. The database is queried to locate the desired
microcentrifuge tube(s). The user may then go to the correct
refrigerated cabinet location and identify the unit that contains
the desired tube. The user could then enter a command on the unit's
interface (such interface would most commonly either be located on
the unit itself or on the refrigerated cabinet itself, although it
could be located anywhere as long as it is wired, or wirelessly,
networked to the unit), and the motor would act on the chain or
track to bring the desired microcentrifuge tube to the access
point. The user then, can open the access point and remove the
sample. If the user were to grab the wrong one, and put it back in
the wrong position, the scanning of the entire inventory of the
unit would result in that error being corrected for in the
database. In the event that an all of the samples contained in a
unit need to be moved to another location, the unit can be
disconnected from the refrigerated cabinet and placed in cold
storage while it is moved to a different compatible refrigerated
cabinet. Once it is in its new location, the connected database
would updated with the new location information.
* * * * *