Transport Package For Bacteriological Specimens

Abstract

The invention relates to a transport package for bacteriological specimens comprising in combination a transparent vessel in the form of a truncated cone and a tight-fitting twistable lid, an elongated supporting means adapted for carrying substrate being attached to the lid and twistable therewith, the longitudinal edges of the supporting means being provided with wiping members for wiping the inner wall of the vessel when the lid is twisted.

Description

In transporting specimens such as urine, sputum, phlegm, pus, milk or water containing or suspected of containing living micro-organisms from a patient to a physician, or from a physician to a bacteriological laboratory, for example, it is most important that the specimen is effectively isolated so that it cannot come in contact with persons or objects. This is important on the one hand to prevent the spread of possibly infectious micro-organisms from the specimen to the environment and on the other hand to prevent that the specimen itself becomes contaminated with irrelevant micro-organisms which might cause a misleading or false diagnosis or analysis. A supporting means such as a microscope slide, spoon, paddle, rod or swab with a coating of one or more substrata, for example nutrient agar, is usually used as a supporting means for the specimen. This is dipped into the specimen, or a portion of the specimen is applied to the substrata in some other way, after which it is placed in a container, for example a test tube, which is closed and placed in some outer protective transport package such as a cardboard carton or mailing box.

At the next stage in the handling of the specimen it is often not necessary, nor even desirable to conduct any detailed examination such as a microscopic examination of the micro-organisms but it can instead be most suitable to only note the presence of micro-organisms of a certain sort, the degree of concentration or frequence of colonies on the substrata or the lack of colonies, and therefore in most cases at this stage the supporting means would not have to be removed from the container with the inherent risk for contamination of the environment and/or specimen, but since the specimen contains moisture, condensation will form on the inside of the container which will hinder visibility and makes it necessary to open the container and draw out the supporting means with substrata and specimen just to view it regardless of what measures it is to be subjected to. Furthermore, the supporting means is often such that it does not fit properly into available containers with the risk for damage caused by knocks and shaking which necessitates careful transport.

The present invention relates to a transport package which has the improvement that the specimen supporting means can easily be removed from and replaced in its container without the risk of coming into contact with foreign objects, it is not sensitive to knocks or shaking, and at the same time it allows direct inspection without it being necessary to open the container.

The transport package according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises a transparent vessel in the form of a truncated cone and a tight-fitting twistable lid, an elongated supporting means adapted for carrying substrata being attached to the lid and twistable therewith, the longitudinal edges of the supporting means extending to the inner wall of the vessel.

Wiping members are provided on the edges of the supporting means or alternatively such wiping members can be arranged on the outside of a transparent cylindrical member attached to the lid and extending down into the vessel.

One embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vessel and a lid with a supporting member having wiping members before the attachment of the lid to the vessel,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the vessel and the lid with the supporting means after assembly, and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view seen in the direction of the arrows III--III of FIG. 2.

A transparent container or vessel 1 of tough crushproof material in the form of a truncated cone is provided with a torus 2 around the outside of the open wider end and the bottom of the vessel is preferably flat. A lid 4 is provided with an annular groove 5 which fits the torus 2 whereby the application of the lid 4 hermetically seals the vessel but is at the same time twistable with the aid of a handle 6. Holder means 7 are provided on the underside of the lid 4 for removable attachment thereto of a frame 8. The frame 8 comprises a strut 9 having means 10 for the attachment to the holder means 7 of the lid 4, and two parallel webs 11 which are united by means of a thin slab 12 and cross ribs 13 forming recesses 14 for application of at least one substrate. When inserted in the vessel 1, the frame 8 extends axially through it and the outermost free end of the frame is preferably formed as a tip 15 which almost but not quite touches the bottom 3 of the vessel 1 on which bottom a moisture absorbing layer 16, for example of paper, can be placed. On the outside of the webs 11 the frame 8 is provided with wiping edges 17 at least along the portion at the recesses 14, said wiping edges being wedge-shaped in accordance with the conical shape of the vessel 1 and touch the inner wall of the vessel along their entire length.

If the vessel is to be stored a considerable length of time, the layer 16 can be moistened so that the enclosed air is kept humid, thereby preventing the substrata from drying out.

To prepare a specimen for processing and/or investigation, a frame 8 fixed to the lid 4 and having one or more substrata filled into the recesses 14 is dipped into the liquid or material to be investigated and any excess amount is allowed to run off. Alternatively, the specimen to be investigated can be applied to the substrata for example by means of a cotton swab. The frame is thereafter replaced into the vessel 1 which replacement is facilitated by the conical form of the vessel. When the lid 4 is pressed over the torus 2, the frame becomes hermetically sealed in the vessel 1 and any excess liquid is absorbed by the layer 16 thereby supplying a suitable humidity to the air confined in the vessel which is necessary for the viability of any micro-organisms present. However, moisture will be formed on the inside wall of the vessel 1 so that visibility through the vessel is hindered. This is easily remedied by twisting the lid 4 and thus the frame 8 causing the wiping edges 17 to scrape away the moisture so that examination of the substrata is allowed without removing the frame from the vessel or even opening the lid.

Instead of the frame 8, other kinds of supporting means such as rods, paddles or swabs can be attached to the holder means 7 on the lid 4. The vessel 1, lid 4 and frame 8 are preferably manufactured of hard or flexible plastics thereby giving such low manufacturing costs that the package can be disposed of after a single use.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. A transport package for microbiological specimens comprising in combination a transparent vessel in the form of a truncated cone, a tight-fitting twistable lid and a supporting means extending axially through the vessel towards the bottom thereof, said supporting means consisting of an elongated frame member having means for supporting at least one substrata of said microbiological specimens thereon, said supporting means being attached to the inside of the lid and twistable therewith, the longitudinal edges of said frame being provided with at least one thin wiping member which extends to and touches the inner wall of the vessel with a moisture absorbing layer being placed on said bottom of said vessel.

2. A transport package for microbiological specimens comprising in combination a transparent vessel in the form of a truncated cone, a tight-fitting twistable lid and a supporting means consisting of an elongated frame member having recesses for supporting at least one substrata of said microbiological specimens thereon, said supporting means being attached to the inside of the lid and twistable therewith, the longitudinal edges of said frame being provided with at least one thin wiping member which extends to and touches the inner wall of the vessel.

3. A transport package as claimed in claim 2 in which the supporting means extends axially through the vessel towards the bottom thereof with a moisture absorbing layer being placed on said bottom.

4. A transport package as claimed in claim 2 in which the supporting means is removably attached to the lid.