U.S. patent number 3,643,650 [Application Number 05/040,253] was granted by the patent office on 1972-02-22 for method and apparatus for obtaining bacteriological information.
Invention is credited to Harvey A. Elder.
United States Patent |
3,643,650 |
Elder |
February 22, 1972 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING BACTERIOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Abstract
A kit which permits bacterial cultures to be quickly and easily
obtained from urine samples and transmitted to a clinical
laboratory for bacteriological examination. The main component of
the kit is a specimen sampler molded from clear plastic in the form
of a jointed strip. The strip has symmetrical, longitudinal
half-segments integral with a central joint segment through which
the half-segments are movable relative to one another. The
half-segments have two bowllike indentations with outwardly bulging
walls which serve as deposit areas for beds of congealed culture
medium. Melded to the bottoms of the bowllike indentations are four
shallow cups with flaring rims, around which the beds of congealed
culture medium are formed and which serve to anchor the beds in
place, and hold them intact, during usage of the specimen sampler.
The sampler is designed so that its two half-segments can be folded
together until the bottoms of their bowllike indentations touch and
their open fronts face outwardly in opposite directions. The
sampler has a pair of finger grip indentations either side of its
joint segment. The kit includes, in addition to the specimen
sampler, a narrow, sealable container into which the folded sampler
snugly fits. When the sampler is ready for use, it is pulled from
the container by means of the finger grip indentations, then held
by these indentations and dipped into a sample of urine until its
culture bed areas are immersed. The sampler is then removed from
the urine and sealed in the container for transmittal to a clinical
laboratory for examination.
Inventors: |
Elder; Harvey A. (Loma Linda,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
21909979 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/040,253 |
Filed: |
May 25, 1970 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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744279 |
Jun 10, 1968 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
435/309.1;
206/569; 220/4.23 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C12Q
1/24 (20130101); C12M 23/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
C12M
1/26 (20060101); B65d 079/00 (); A61b 010/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/2,269 ;206/63.2
;229/28 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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655,678 |
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Jan 1963 |
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CA |
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37,629 |
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Mar 1936 |
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NL |
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Primary Examiner: Medbery; Aldrich F.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending U.S.
application Ser. No. 744,279, filed June 10, 1968 and now
abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. Sampler means having at least one bacterial culture plate
suitable for dipping in a liquid to be bacteriologically examined,
said sampler means comprising a body having at least one segment of
generally flattened character and appearance shaped to include an
open-topped depressed area of confinement for a bed of congealed
culture medium which serves as said culture plate, said body having
two segments of generally flattened character and appearance, each
shaped to define an open-topped area of confinement for a bed of
congealed culture medium, and an intermediate hinge joint segment
interconnecting said two segments.
2. Sampler means in accordance with claim 1 in which each of said
areas of confinement for beds of congealed culture medium is of
shallow, bowllike configuration with a beadlike rim defining its
top opening, a generally flat bottom and outwardly bulging
sidewalls contiguous with said bottom and said rim, and which has
at least one cup-shaped culture medium anchoring member with a
flaring rim fixedly secured to said bottom, said cup-shaped
anchoring member being so oriented and sized that congealed culture
medium in said area of confinement surrounds and fills it when said
sampler means is ready for dipping in said liquid.
3. Sampler means in accordance with claim 2 of generally striplike
character and molded plastic construction, in which:
said two segments are longitudinally symmetrical about said joint
segment;
the plastic from which said sampler is formed is sheet plastic;
and
said joint segment comprises a lateral ridge, of arcuate cross
section, between a pair of relatively sharp and generally parallel
bends, by means of which said sampler means is flexibly movable
between a position in which said two segments are aligned in
generally coplanar relationship and a position of extreme bend, in
which the bowllike areas of confinement for the beds of congealed
culture medium are in bottom-to-bottom contact;
whereby said sampler means can be folded to fit into a relatively
narrow container for handling, and other, purposes.
4. Sampler means in accordance with claim 3 particularly adaptable
for use in the bacteriological examination of urine samples in
which:
a pair of finger grip indentations are provided in said two
segments in flanking adjacency to said lateral ridge to permit easy
gripping, and manipulation, of said sampler means for handling and
use thereof.
5. Sampler means in accordance with claim 4 in which said plastic
is a transparent plastic, each of said congealed culture
medium-confining areas comprises an oval bowl-shaped indentation;
and
each of the bowl-shaped indentations has two of said cup-shaped
anchoring members affixed to its bottom in spaced relationship.
6. Specimen sampler kit means particularly adapted to permit the
plating of a pair of bacterial culture plates with a freshly
obtained sample of urine comprising sampler means in accordance
with claim 5; and
a sealable container adapted to receive the folded specimen sampler
in snug-fitting relationship;
whereby two beds of suitable culture medium can be congealed in the
bowl-shaped indentations in said sampler means, after which the
sampler means can be bent double, inserted in said container and
sealed therein until ready for use through exposure of said culture
medium to said urine.
7. Specimen sampler kit means in accordance with claim 6 which
includes a piece of sterile soft tissue for use in removing said
sampler means from said container without contamination of the
sampler means, and subsequent handling of said sampler means in
exposing culture medium in its bowl-shaped indentations to
urine;
said container being sized to receive said sampler means with its
bent ends down, and said finger grip indentations up; and
said piece of sterile soft tissue being sized to fit over said
finger grip indentations when the sampler means is in said
container to permit easy grasping and handling of said sampler
means with the soft tissue in place while said sampler means is
removed from the container for use, and at all times during such
use.
8. Specimen sampler kit means in accordance with claim 7, including
a piece of sterile soft tissue sized to fit in the bottom of said
container for said sampler means to rest on, a specimen cup for the
collection of a sample of urine sized to permit dipping of the bent
sampler means in said sample for exposure of culture medium in each
of its bowl-shaped indentations to the urine, and a sealable bag
sized to receive said sealable container for transmittal of the
dipped sampler means, in the container, to a clinical laboratory
for testing.
9. A method of exposing several bacterial culture plates of known
surface areas to a bacteria-containing liquid to obtain
quantitative bacterial determinations, comprising the steps of:
(a) storing the culture plates of known surface areas out of
contact, and in back-to-back relationship; (b) providing a remotely
located finger grasping means for holding and supporting the
plates; (c) dipping the plates in a body of said liquid while they
are supported; (d) removing the plates from said liquid; (e) and
inserting and maintaining the dipped plates in their relative
position of support in an enclosure means until they are ready for
clinical examination.
10. Sampler means having at least one culture plate suitable for
dipping in a liquid to be bacteriologically examined, said sampler
means comprising a body having at least one segment of generally
flattened character and appearance shaped to include an open-topped
depressed area of confinement for a bed of congealed culture medium
which serves as said culture plate;
said depressed area of confinement for the bed of congealed culture
medium being relatively shallow and having culture medium retaining
means overlying at least part of its bottom in spaced-apart
relationship therewith, whereby a portion of the congealed culture
medium forming said bed is sandwiched between said retaining means
and said bottom to help maintain said bed positionally intact in
said depressed area during usage of said sampler means.
11. Sampler means having at least one bacterial culture plate
suitable for dipping in a liquid to be bacteriologically examined,
said sampler means comprising a body having at least one segment of
generally flattened character and appearance shaped to include an
open-topped depressed area of confinement for a bed of congealed
culture medium which serves as said culture plate;
said depressed area of confinement for the bed of congealed culture
medium being of shallow, bowllike configuration with a beadlike rim
defining its top opening, a generally flattened bottom and
outwardly bulging sidewalls contiguous with said bottom and said
rim, and which has at least one cup-shaped culture medium anchoring
member, with a flaring rim, fixedly secured, open side up, to said
bottom, said cup-shaped anchoring member being so oriented and
sized that congealed culture medium in said area of confinement
surrounds the fills it when said sampler means is ready for dipping
in said liquid.
12. Sampler means in accordance with claim 11 in which said
depressed area of confinement for a bed of congealed culture medium
is of oval periphery and said at least one cup-shaped anchoring
member consists of two such anchoring members in spaced-apart
relationship.
13. Sampler means in accordance with claim 12 of generally
striplike character and molded plastic construction.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to means for obtaining bacterial
cultures from liquids to be bacteriologically examined, and more
particularly to such means for obtaining bacterial cultures from
urine.
The bacteriological examination of urine specimens is a medically
useful procedure for obtaining clinical information about patients,
physical examinees, etc. Presently conventional methods of
obtaining urine specimens for such examination require the donors
to get the specimens into the hands of clinical specialists in
reasonably fresh condition to minimize the effect of bacterial
multiplication therein. As soon as such a sample is received in the
laboratory, some of it is transferred, by means of swab, paper, or
the like, to one or more culture plates, after which the plates are
subjected to known processing techniques, not necessary to describe
here. If it is impossible to immediately transfer urine from the
specimen to a culture medium, the specimen must be refrigerated to
inhibit germ growth in the liquid until it is ready for
testing.
The above-described way of obtaining urine specimens, and preparing
bacterial cultures therefrom, is inconvenient, and frequently
embarrassing, for donors; requires refrigeration facilities for
specimens which cannot be tested immediately; has the inherent risk
of too much time delay between the obtaining of specimens and
delivery thereof to laboratory personnel; requires skilled medical
personnel for the preparation of the culture plates; and is a
generally inefficient and time-consuming way of achieving the
desired results. All of these shortcomings of presently
conventional procedures for bacteriologically examining urine would
be eliminated if a simple means of permitting the donor to prepare
his own urine culture plate, or plates, in the privacy of his home,
or elsewhere, for transmittal to a clinical laboratory (and means
whereby such transmittal could be easily effected, as by mail) were
provided. To the present, no such means has been made available to
the medical profession, or the public in general, at least insofar
as I am aware.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The urine-testing kit of this invention is designed to permit a
patient, or other inexperienced person, to quickly and easily
prepare bacterial cultures from his own urine and transmit the
cultures to a clinical laboratory for examination without any
necessity of refrigerating the urine, for the inhibition of
bacterial multiplication, at any stage of the proceedings. The
principal component of the kit is s flexible, lightweight specimen
sampler, preferably with two culture medium bed sites (which can be
loaded with culture media of differing nutritive content), designed
for dipping into a sample of urine to expose the culture media to
bacteria therein. The sampler is preferably of transparent plastic
construction, and thin, striplike form, with a jointed segment at
its longitudinal center, by means of which the two halves of the
sampler can be folded together.
The aforesaid sampler, in its preferred form, is of molded sheet
plastic construction, and each of its halves has a bowllike
indentation with a generally flat bottom and bulging sidewalls
converging to a beaded rim around its top opening, the indentations
being so positioned that folding of the sampler in the
above-indicated fashion brings the bottoms of the indentations
together so that their open top sides face outwardly, away from
each other.
Fixedly secured to the flat bottom of each of the bowllike
indentations of the sampler is a pair of shallow, cuplike members
with flaring brims. These members are preferably of clear plastic,
and melded, open side up, to the bottoms of the indentations. These
indentations, or hollows, serve as areas of confinement for beds of
agar culture medium which is poured into the hollows as a liquid
and left to jell, or congeal, therein. The liquid culture medium
flows around, and into, the cuplike members, and when it congeals,
is confined against movement or deformation by the anchoring effect
of these members and the restrictive effect of the beadlike rims
defining the openings of the bowllike indentations. The exposed
surfaces of the congealed beds of culture media encircled by these
rims serve as culture plates for bacteria, and particularly urine
bacteria, growth.
Flanking the two edges of the laterally extending hinge segment of
the specimen sampler are two finger grip indentations sized to
permit easy handling of the sampler with the thumb and forefinger
of either hand. Other parts of the specimen sampler kit, in its
preferred form, include a narrow vial, or container, preferably,
but not necessarily, made of clear plastic, with a sealing cap by
means of which its contents can be protected against contamination.
This vial or container is sized to snugly receive the sampler, in
its doubled position, with its folded end up. Preferably, there is
a piece of sterile soft tissue in the bottom of the container for
the sampler to rest on, and a piece of similar material is placed
over its folded end. The kit can include, in addition to the
above-mentioned parts, a jar for the collection of a urine sample,
and a plastic bag in which the sampler-containing vial can be
packaged for mailing, or other means of transmittal, to a clinical
laboratory for testing.
The parts of the urine-testing kit of this invention can be easily
assembled and mailed from a doctor's office, clinical laboratory,
or the like, to a patient, or physical examinee, for use in his own
home. Immediately after a urine sample is collected by the patient
in the sampler jar, he can open the vial containing the specimen
sampler; remove the sampler, keeping the sterile soft tissue at the
folded end of the sampler between his fingers and the body of the
sampler; dip the two outwardly facing culture plates into the urine
in the sample jar; then remove the sampler from the urine, and
replace it in the vial in which it arrived. He can then discard the
protective soft tissue covering the finger grip indentations of the
sampler, and seal the vial for return to the doctor or laboratory.
He can do all this in a matter of minutes, and thereby eliminate
the time-consuming, and often embarrassing, necessity of carrying a
sample bottle of urine from his home to a place of analysis and
turning it over to someone for processing. Furthermore, the culture
plates of the sampler are exposed to the urine immediately after a
sample has been collected, and before any significant bacterial
multiplication has taken place therein.
Different types of culture media can be employed for the two
culture plates on the specimen sampler, and since the sampler
remains folded at all times during its use and return to the
laboratory, and the culture plates face outwardly, in opposite
directions from each other, there is no chance for contamination
between the plates. Furthermore, and this is an advantage of great
significance, the culture plates have exposed areas of
predetermined size, which means that the plate areas, and the
amounts of liquid that can be picked up thereby, are standardized.
This, of course, permits quantitative bacterial determinations to
be made with the specimen sampler.
It is thus a principal object of this invention to provide an
inexpensive urine sampler of simple construction which can be
easily sent through the mail for use by one inexperienced in
medical testing procedures for the preparation of urine culture
plates from fresh urine.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a sampler
which can be easily mailed, after use in the home, to a clinical
laboratory for testing without undue risk of contamination.
It is still another object of the invention to provide such a
sampler, and cooperating means, which serve to eliminate any
necessity for the refrigeration of urine samples to inhibit
bacterial growth therein.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a sampler
designed to permit quantitative bacterial examinations of urine
samples.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such a sampler
by means of which culture plates of differing character can be
simultaneously exposed to urine by a simple dipping procedure
without any risk of contamination between the plates.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become
apparent in the light of disclosures to follow herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a generalized form of a specimen
sampler in accordance with this invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the FIG. 1 specimen sampler.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the FIG. 1 sampler bent double through
movement of its two halves in the directions indicated by the
curved arrows.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the specimen sampler, a piece of
protective sterile tissue therefor, and a sealable vial or
container adapted to snugly receive the sampler, the view being
partially exploded to show the manner in which the sampler fits
into the vial.
FIG. 5 is a view of the vial, with the specimen sampler sealed
therein, drawn to a reduced scale, and a urine sample jar intended
for use in conjunction therewith.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the vial and specimen sampler, showing the
sampler in the process of removal from the vial for use in a sample
of urine.
FIG. 7 is a side view of the urine sample jar, with its wall
partially broken away, showing, additionally, the specimen sampler
being dipped in a sample of urine in the jar to illustrate its
manner of use.
FIG. 8 is a view showing the specimen sampler being replaced in the
FIG. 6 vial after it has been removed from the urine sample of FIG.
7, and showing, additionally, discard of a piece of sterile soft
tissue by means of which the urine sampler was held in FIGS. 6 and
7.
FIG. 9 shows the specimen sampler vial (loaded with the sampler) in
side elevation, with its top in the process of being fastened to
seal it for return to a clinical laboratory for testing.
FIG. 10 shows the sealed vial, and specimen sampler, drawn to a
reduced scale, being inserted in an envelope for return to the
aforesaid laboratory for testing.
FIG. 11 shows a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of a
specimen sampler in accordance with this invention.
FIG. 12 shows a top view of the FIG. 11 specimen sampler.
FIG. 13 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the specimen
sampler, taken along line 13--13 of FIG. 12.
FIG. 14 is another enlarged cross-sectional view of the specimen
sampler, this time taken along line 14--14 of FIG. 12.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Considering now the drawings in greater detail, with emphasis first
on FIGS. 1-10, there is shown generally at 20 a plastic specimen
sampler in accordance with this invention. Specimen sampler 20 is
not intended to illustrate a preferred embodiment of such a
sampler, but merely to represent a generalized version of the
sampler. Specimen sampler 20 is molded from sheet plastic,
preferably, but not necessarily, of a transparent character. As
FIGS. 1 and 2 best show, the specimen sampler has a central hinged
segment 26, separating two structurally symmetrical halves which
can be bent double, through the hinged segment, in the manner
illustrated in FIG. 3. Hinged segment 26 is simply a laterally
extending deformation, of arcuate cross section, in the sampler,
which permits bending of its two halves, in the above-indicated
manner, without undue risk of bending or cracking of the plastic
from which it is made.
The two halves of the sampler have corresponding indentations or
depressions 22 and 24, respectively, which serve as trays for beds
of congealed bacterial culture media. Typically, the culture media
in the beds will be of conventional agar type, but of differing
nutrient value to permit two separate urine screen tests with the
same sampler. FIG. 2 shows two such beds of culture media 32 and 34
in the depressions 22 and 24, respectively. In addition to their
traylike depressions, the two halves of specimen sampler 20 have
corresponding finger grip indentations 28 and 30, respectively,
disposed either side of the hinged segment 26.
A typically representative urine-testing kit in accordance with
this invention will preferably include, besides a specimen sampler,
a capped vial or container, such as shown at 36, into which the
doubled sampler can be sealed; a disposable specimen jar or cup,
such as shown at 42, which can be used to collect a sample of
urine; and a sealable bag, such as shown at 44 in FIG. 10, by means
of which the specimen sampler can be returned to a clinical
laboratory for testing after its culture beds have been exposed to
a urine sample as taught herein. Additionally, the kit will
preferably include a piece of sterile soft tissue 40, positioned in
the bottom of container 36, and a second piece of such tissue 38,
positioned over the finger grip indentations of the specimen
sampler, in the manner best illustrated in FIG. 4, to permit
removal of the sampler from container 36, and handling of the
sampler, with minimal risk of contaminating its sensitive culture
bed areas.
The urine-testing kit of this invention is intended primarily for
use by a patient, or physical examinee, to permit him to obtain
cultures of a fresh sample of urine for transmittal to a clinical
laboratory for testing. Use of the kit requires no medical skill,
and all the patient needs to do is follow a few simple instructions
to get the desired results. The kit can be easily mailed, or
otherwise sent, to the patient, for use in the privacy of his home,
or elsewhere, and as easily returned, after such use, to a
laboratory for examination. To prepare the kit for mailing to a
patient, it is only necessary to place the piece of sterile soft
tissue 40 in the bottom of the vial or container 36; bend specimen
sampler 20 into its doubled form (shown in FIG. 3), and insert it,
bent end up, into container 36 (while making sure that the piece of
sterile soft tissue 38 is in place over the bent end of the
specimen sampler); and then seal container 36 with its cap.
Container 36, with the specimen sampler sealed inside; urine sample
cup 42 and the sealable sampler return bag 44, can then be mailed
(or otherwise transmitted) to the patient.
When the patient is ready to use the kit, he collects a sample of
urine in the sample cup 42, and then unseals container 36, after
which he removes the doubled specimen sampler from the container,
utilizing the piece of sterile soft tissue 38 to prevent contact of
his fingers with the sampler, as illustrated in FIG. 6. He then
dips the lower portion of the doubled specimen sampler into the
urine in cup 42, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7. Preferably,
the urine sample should be of sufficient depth to permit complete
immersion of the culture beds 32 and 34 in the liquid. After he has
dipped the sampler in the urine, the patient then permits it to
drain, and returns it to container 36, with its lower part resting
on the sterile soft tissue 40 in the bottom of that container. He
then discards the sterile soft tissue 38, as illustrated in FIG. 8,
recaps the container in the manner shown in FIG. 9, and seals the
container into the sampler return bag 44, in the manner indicated
in FIG. 10. It is then necessary only to return the sampler return
bag to the laboratory, after which the bacterial cultures from the
urine sample can be examined by conventional techniques not
necessary to describe here.
As will be apparent to those familiar with bacterial determination
techniques, the use of a kit such as that described and illustrated
herein provides for quantitative bacterial determination since the
surface areas of the culture media beds on the specimen sampler
are, as previously indicated, of a standardized size. The specimen
sampler is designed to fold in the above-described manner so that
two types of cultures can be prepared simultaneously. The container
36 is a means of preserving the sterility of the agar after it has
been exposed to urine. The unique design of my novel specimen
sampler makes possible the preparation of urine culture plates
without the need of a skilled technician to swab, or otherwise
plate, the culture bed surfaces with urine, and eliminates any
necessity of refrigerating urine samples so long as used in
accordance with present teachings.
All of the above-described components of my urine sampler kit,
except the specimen sampler itself, are, or can be, of conventional
type. For example, the specimen sampler container 36 can be a clear
plastic vial, or container, of known type, with a conventional cap
by means of which it can be easily sealed. Likewise, the specimen
sample cup 42 can be a capped container of known type, and the
pieces of sterile soft tissue 38 and 40 can be any known material
suitable for the purpose. The specimen sampler, however, was
particularly designed for purposes of the present invention, and
has a unique configuration and functionality unmatched by any
presently available part or component of urine testing, or other,
apparatus or equipment of which I am aware. While specimen sampler
20 is adequate to illustrate the general features, structural and
functional, of my unique specimen sampler, it does not, as
previously indicated, represent a preferred, or refined, version of
the sampler. This is not to say, however, that specimen sampler 20
is completely inoperative, but it is a fact, as I have
experimentally discovered, that a specimen sampler of that type is
ineffective in retaining certain culture media intact in its
traylike depressions 22 and 24. More specifically, I have found it
desirable to modify the design of specimen sampler 20 so as to
improve its retentivity of congealed culture media and render it
more universally capable of retaining beds of culture media intact
through all phases of use and functioning thereof. An improved
specimen sampler of such modified design is shown at 46 in FIGS.
11-14.
Specimen sampler 46, similarly to sampler 20, has two symmetrical
halves which are flexibly movable about a central joint or hinge
segment 48 to permit doubling of the sampler for insertion in a
vial or container such as container 36, in the same way as specimen
sampler 20 is doubled for insertion in that container. Flanking
either side of hinge segment 48 are a pair of finger grip
depressions 50 and 52, respectively. Sampler 46, like specimen
sampler 20, is molded from clear sheet plastic, except for certain
appendages soon to be described, and, as FIG. 11 best shows, its
hinge segment 48 is a lateral warp or ridge separating the bottoms
of the finger grip depressions 50 and 52. The principal areas of
difference between specimen sampler 46 and sampler 20 reside in the
shape and character of its culture medium bed-receiving areas,
these comprising bowllike indentations or depressions (shown at 54
and 56, respectively), rather than the traylike depressions (22 and
24) of specimen sampler 20. Additionally, the culture medium
bed-receiving areas of specimen sampler 46 include anchoring means
for the culture medium attached to the bottoms of the depressions
54 and 56. Specifically, these anchoring means are shallow, cuplike
members 58 around, and into, which the culture medium flows when it
is introduced into the bowllike depressions. When the culture
medium jells, or congeals, it tightly embraces these cuplike
anchoring means, which, in turn, help to hold the culture medium
beds in place, and intact, during usage of the specimen
sampler.
The cuplike members 48 are made of the same clear plastic as the
main body of specimen sampler 46, and are melded to the bottoms of
the bowllike depressions 54 and 56, two in each depression, by a
heating, or other suitable, procedure by means of which "spot
welds," such as shown at 60 in FIG. 12, are produced. There are
various types of plastic which lend themselves to such melding, and
the selection of a suitable one for purposes of this invention can
be easily made by one skilled in the art, in the light of present
teachings. The bowllike depressions 54 and 56 have relatively flat
bottoms and bulging sidewalls, as best illustrated at 62 in FIG.
13, which shows the cross-sectional configuration of the sidewalls
of depression 54. The bulging sidewalls curve inwardly at the top
and merge into beaded rims 64 forming inturned lips around the
openings of the bowllike depressions.
It will be evident from the foregoing that specimen sampler 46 is
bendable, usable and functions in the same way as sampler 20,
except that it is much more effective than the latter in
maintaining culture media beds positionally intact during usage of
the sampler.
To briefly summarize some of its principal advantages, the unique
specimen sampler of this invention makes it possible for an
inexperienced person, such as the average medical patient, to plate
cultures with urine without the use of an intermediate transfer
device, such as a swab, as well as eliminating any necessity for
the patient to provide a laboratory with a urine specimen for
ordinary bacteriological examination purposes. By making it
unnecessary for the patient to deliver a urine specimen to a
testing laboratory, my specimen sampler, of course, does away with
any need for refrigerating such a specimen. Furthermore, my
specimen sampler provides a means of obtaining quantitative
bacterial determinations where such would be impossible if the
patient were forced to deliver a urine sample from his home to a
laboratory, the reason being that bacteria would grow or multiply
in the sample while it was on its way to the laboratory and thereby
prevent the preparation of quantitative bacterial cultures as
currently defined in medical technology. Since my unique specimen
sampler will sample a standardized quantity of urine and the number
of colonies of bacteria growing on a culture surface can easily be
counted, the sampler provides a means for preparing quantitative
urine cultures without requiring the patient to turn over a fresh
specimen of urine to the laboratory.
While the specimen sampler (and/or sampler kit) of this invention
has been herein described and illustrated primarily in terms of
reference to its usefulness in the urine analysis field, its
potential field of usefulness extends far beyond this narrowly
defined area. More specifically, the specimen sampler can be
employed for any purpose for which its unique capabilities suit it,
such as for the quantitative bacteriological examination of any
liquid or substance in which bacteria multiplication can occur
between the time a sample of the liquid is obtained and the time it
is put on a culture medium for bacteriological culture.
While the novel specimen sampler and sampler kit of this invention
have been herein described and illustrated in what are considered
to be preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled
in the art that departures may be made therefrom within the scope
of the invention. Certain of these departures have already been
mentioned, and others will occur to those skilled in the art in the
light of present teachings. In summary, the scope of the present
invention extends to all variant forms thereof encompassed by the
language of the following claims.
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