Solvent tube management

Abstract

The bottle cap includes a lower cap body having threads for attachment around an opening in a solvent bottle and an upper cap body attached to the lower cap body. A liner disposed inside the lower cap body includes at least one opening for passage of the solvent tube while limiting evaporation of the solvent in the bottle. Features in the upper cover body allow for attachment of identification marks. Each marker has an opening to pass a corresponding tube and includes one or more characters or symbols, color codes and / or shape codes to identify a corresponding solvent and / or a system inlet to which the tube is connected at the other end thereof. The upper cap body and the lower cap body are independently rotatable about the cap axis and allow the cap to be removed from or attached to the bottle without the need to remove any tubing through the cap.

Description

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application is a non-provisional patent application claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 454,538, entitled “Solvent Tube Management,” filed on March 24, 2023, which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The disclosed technology generally relates to solvent sources for liquid chromatography. More specifically, the technology relates to the identification and organization of solvent bottles and tubing in liquid chromatography systems. Background Art

[0004] Chromatography systems typically include multiple solvent sources. One or more solvents can be combined to form a mobile phase. Other solvents can include one or more washing solvents and / or flushing solvents for cleaning or flushing the system's components. Each solvent can be supplied in a bottle or container. Typically, a pipe is used to guide the solvent from the bottle to the corresponding port in the chromatography system. For example, the pipe can be inserted through a bottle cap so that the inlet end of the pipe extends to near or at the bottom of the bottle, and the outlet end of the pipe is connected to the corresponding system inlet port. In an example using multiple solvent bottles, the outlet end of the pipe extending from each bottle is connected to the corresponding inlet port of a gradient proportional valve, and the outlet port of the gradient proportional valve provides a solvent stream composed of a proportion of the solvents supplied to the pump inlet at the inlet port. In an alternative example, the outlet end of each pipe is connected to its own pump, and the resulting high-pressure flow from the pump is combined and mixed. In other specific implementations, one or more solvent bottles can have multiple pipes to guide the solvent to multiple inlet ports.

[0005] Managing solvent bottles and solvent lines for liquid chromatography systems can be challenging. Tubing can include similar tubes, i.e., tubes of the same diameter and color, making tube identification difficult. Additionally, tubing can be made of flexible materials (e.g., fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP)), and the tubes can be in close proximity around the solvent bottle, making the task of identifying the tube used to connect the solvent bottle to a specific port in the chromatography system difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In one aspect, a bottle cap for identifying a tubing connected to a solvent container comprises a lower cap body, an upper cap body, and a liner. The lower cap body has an axial opening and a cylindrical wall with threads on the cylindrical wall to engage the threaded portion of the solvent container around an opening in the solvent container. The lower cap body can be fixed to the solvent container. The upper cap body is attached to the lower cap body and has a cap wall and a base with an opening in the base for passing one or more solvent tubes. The upper cap body has at least one attachment feature to fix an identification mark. The liner is arranged in the lower cap body and has one or more openings. Each opening in the liner is configured to pass one of the solvent tubes that passes through the opening in the base of the upper cap body.

[0007] The upper cover body can be configured to rotate independently of the lower cover body about the cover axis.The lower cover body can be fixed to the threaded neck of the solvent container by rotating about the cover axis.

[0008] At least one of the lower cover body and the upper cover body may be formed of high-density polyethylene.

[0009] The bottle cap may also include an identification mark, and the identification mark may have an opening to allow one of the one or more solvent tubes to pass through. The identification mark may be configured to maintain the position of the portion of the solvent tube that passes through the opening in the identification mark relative to the solvent container. The identification mark may be a tab configured to extend from the upper cover body. The identification mark may include at least one alphanumeric symbol and may be color-coded and / or shape-coded. The identification mark may include an attachment clip, and wherein the attachment feature includes an edge for receiving the attachment clip.

[0010] The attachment feature may include a slot in the cover wall extending from an upper edge of the upper cover body. The upper cover body may include a pair of tabs adjacent an upper end of the slot, wherein each tab extends radially inward from the cover wall at the upper edge and adjacent a side of the slot opposite the other tab. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The above and other advantages of the present invention may be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like structural elements and features throughout the various figures. For clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 1 is an illustration of a solvent bottle having one or more solvent tubes with a cap having identifying markings for identifying and organizing the tubes.

[0013] Figure 2 A bottle cap having multiple identifying marks according to one embodiment is shown.

[0014] Figure 3 Identification markings according to one embodiment are shown.

[0015] Figure 4A Shown Figure 2 Disassembly diagram of the bottle cap.

[0016] Figure 4B Shown Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of a bottle cap, wherein the lower cap body, the upper cap body and the liner are assembled together.

[0017] Figure 5A Shown is a perspective view of a bottle cap configured with a single solvent tube and identifying indicia.

[0018] Figure 5B Shown Figure 5A A cross-sectional side view of a bottle cap. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] References in this specification to an "embodiment" or "example" indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present teachings. References to a particular embodiment or example within this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or example.

[0020] The present teaching will now be described in detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments or examples of the present teaching as shown in the accompanying drawings. Although the present teaching has been described in conjunction with various embodiments and examples, the present teaching is not intended to be limited to such embodiments and examples. In contrast, the present teaching encompasses various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. In addition, the features shown or described for one embodiment or example may be combined with the features of one or more other embodiments or examples. Those of ordinary skill in the art who have the right to use the teachings of this article will recognize additional specific implementations, modifications, and embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure as described herein, as well as other areas of use.

[0021] Briefly summarized, the embodiments and examples disclosed herein relate to a bottle cap for identifying a tubing connected to a solvent container. The bottle cap includes a lower cap body and an upper cap body, the lower cap body having threads for attaching around an opening in the solvent container, and the upper cap body attached to the lower cap body. The upper cap body and the lower cap body can rotate independently around the cap axis. A liner is disposed inside the lower cap body and includes one or more openings to allow the solvent tube to pass through while limiting solvent evaporation to the external environment. Advantageously, the independent rotation capability of the upper cap body and the lower cap body allows the bottle cap to be removed from or attached to a solvent bottle without removing any solvent tube passing through the bottle cap. The attachment feature in the upper cap body allows for the attachment of an identification mark. Each identification mark has an opening and can include one or more characters or symbols, color coding and / or shape coding to identify the solvent and / or system inlet, to which the corresponding solvent tube is connected at its other end.

[0022] As used herein, bottle cap refers to a device for closing or sealing a bottle or other container for containing liquid. Although primarily reference is made to bottle caps in the following examples, it should be understood that bottle caps are generally capable of sealing any form of container having an opening to receive or dispense liquid.

[0023] Many different types of solvents can be used in chromatographic systems. For example, the system may need one, two or more mobile phase solvents, strong and weak washing solutions, wash plunger rod solvents (sealwash solvent) and / or cleaning and flushing solutions, and may need other liquids for maintenance purposes. In each class of solvents (for example, mobile phase, washing solutions, maintenance fluids), there may be a potential unlimited amount of solution for each purpose and the same solution may potentially be used for more than one purpose in the system. Each solvent in the chromatographic system can be a single liquid solvent, a liquid mixture or a solution dissolved with a solute. The solvent can be used as supplied, or the user can prepare a solvent. In addition, the system is designed to switch between different operating modes without the need for user intervention, and the mobile phase and washing solutions of several complete groups can be provided for the system. For example, in order to be able to run two different gradient elutions, the system can have four mobile phase solvents. The solvent can be of any type, including aqueous and organic solvents, polar and non-polar solvents, such as methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, dimethoxyethane, chlorobutane, dichlorobenzene, pentanone, acetone, chloroform, cyclohexane, diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, pentane, hexane, heptane, toluene, water, and combinations thereof.

[0024] A solvent containing more than one liquid component can be provided in a single container, or the liquid components can be provided from separate containers and mixed by the system. The system can receive two or more solvents, which are mixed by the system, for example, to form a mobile phase for isocratic elution or to serve as a component for gradient elution.

[0025] The vial caps described herein can be used with solvents used with a variety of chromatography systems, such as liquid chromatography (LC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), highly compressible liquid chromatography (sometimes referred to as supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), or CO2-based chromatography where CO2 is used in the mobile phase.

[0026] Chromatography system users face challenges managing the tubing at the solvent bottles used to supply the system. For example, identifying the tubes connected to the bottles is often unclear. Tubes often appear identical, and individual tubes are sometimes clustered together in bundles. The distal ends of the tubes connect to solvent inlets in different modules of the chromatography system, which may not be easily visible to the user. Typically, users face the difficult and time-consuming task of tracking one or more tubes from their system inlet ports to the corresponding solvent bottles to confirm the correct supply of solvent. Previous attempts to simplify this task have included the use of colored tube identifiers fixed somewhere along the length of each tube. For example, small lengths of colored identifiers in the form of heat shrink tubing can be placed on the solvent tubes, followed by the application of heat to secure each identifier to its respective tube. A problem with this organizational technique is that the colored identifiers are not necessarily applied to all tubes at similar locations along their lengths. If the colored identifiers are not correctly positioned along their lengths, it may still be necessary to manually track the tubes to their ends to confirm that they are in the appropriate solvent bottles. Another existing organizational technique involves attaching small clip-on markers to the tubes; however, these markers often fall off and are sometimes not reattached.

[0027] Bottle caps according to examples described herein provide many advantages. For example, the identification mark that is attached to the bottle cap and passes through the pipe allows the user to know the position that the distal end of the pipe is connected in the chromatography system. Another advantage is the organization of the tubing at the solvent bottle place. When each pipe leaves its solvent bottle by the bottle cap, the corresponding identification mark is maintained at the appropriate position by the pipe relative to the bottle, thereby reducing the looseness and tubing disorder in the solvent bottle surrounding area. The opening in the mark can have a diameter greater than the external diameter of the pipe, so that the pipe passes through and allows the pipe to slide a short distance through the opening, so that it is arranged.

[0028] Figure 1 1 is an illustration of a collection of three solvent bottles 10A to 10C, each having one or more solvent tubes 14A to 14E extending through corresponding bottle caps 18A to 18C. The proximal end of each tube 14 is positioned near the bottom of its solvent bottle 10 to ensure that most of the contained solvent can be removed from the bottle 10. A sinker or weight 22 may be attached near or at the proximal end so that the end remains at the bottom of the bottle 10. The sinker 22 may include or be a filter that filters the solvent drawn into the tube 14.

[0029] At least one identification mark 26A to 26E is attached to each bottle cap 18. Each mark 26 is removably attachable to its bottle cap 18 and includes an opening to allow the solvent tube 14 to face the liner 32 (at Figure 1 Not visible in, see Figure 4B ) into the bottle cap 18. Liner 32 is an internal component of the bottle cap 18 that substantially limits exposure of the contents of the bottle 10 to the surrounding environment. The portion of each tube 14 nearest its proximal end is held in place relative to the solvent bottle 10 by its indicia 26, thereby reducing confusion that could result from loose tubing.

[0030] Each identification mark 26 includes an identification symbol, such as "A," "B," "C," or other alphanumeric characters or symbols, that identifies the solvent directed through the corresponding tube. The characters or symbols may be on one or both sides of the mark 26. Alternatively or in addition, the mark 26 may be color-coded so that the color identifies the solvent connection in the chromatography system. Similarly, the mark 26 may be shape-coded so that the shape of the mark indicates the solvent connection.

[0031] The liner in each bottle cap 18 has a plurality of openings, and each opening is configured to pass a single solvent tube. As a non-limiting example, there can be five openings to accommodate the five tubes in the solvent bottle. In other embodiments, the number of openings can be different. In some embodiments, the number of openings can be different from the number of identification tags that can be attached.

[0032] See also Figure 2 Each bottle cap 10 includes a lower cap body 30 and an upper cap body 34. For example, the lower cap body 30 and the upper cap body 34 can be made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The lower cap body 30 has a cylindrical wall and an axial opening at its top. Threads on the inner surface (not visible) of the cylindrical wall enable the bottle cap 10 to engage threads provided around the opening of the solvent container. Rotation of the lower cap body 30 about the cap axis 38 enables it to be fixed to the solvent container.

[0033] The upper cover body 34 comprises an attachment feature, and each attachment feature is adapted to receive an identification mark. In the illustrated example, each attachment feature partially comprises a vertical slot extending downwardly from the upper edge 36. In the figures, each of the five slots is occupied by identification marks 26, although in use, the quantity of the marks 26 attached to the bottle cap 10 may be less. Preferably, the quantity of the marks 26 is identical with the quantity of the tubes used together with the solvent container, so that each tube is identified.

[0034] Two cap bodies 30 and 34 and liner can be manufactured as independent parts, then attach to each other to form bottle cap 10.For example, two cap bodies 30 and 34 can snap together, and liner can be threaded or otherwise inserted in the position of lower cap body 30 inside.The lower cap body 30 of bottle cap 10 and upper cap body 34 can rotate independently around cap axis 38.The outer surface of lower cap body 30 comprises vertical ridge 42, so that it can be grasped and twisted to be attached to solvent bottle and remove from solvent bottle.In alternative embodiment, can not have ridge 42, or outer surface can be textured or comprise one or more features, to help user grasp and twist lower cap body 30.During attachment or removal, upper cap body 34 can keep basically static.Advantageously, when removing bottle cap so that the solvent in the bottle can be replenished, do not need to disconnect pipe.Therefore, the refilling of solvent occurs faster, and the risk of misleading pipe is minimized.

[0035] Figure 3 A detailed view of the identification mark 26 in the form of a tab that extends from the upper cap body when attached to the bottle cap is shown. The identification character "A" is located on a flat surface 46 that is recessed from the edge 48 of the tab. When the solvent tube is passed through the opening 50 during system setup, and when the mark 26 is attached to or removed from the upper cap body during setup, bottle replacement, or solvent replenishment, the user can grasp the flat surface 46 and the opposing flat surface between the thumb and fingers. The mark 26 includes a flange 54 at one end and a narrow flat area 58 between the flange 54 and the opening 50.

[0036] Figure 4A shows a disassembled view of the bottle cap, and Figure 4B A cross-sectional view of the same bottle cap is shown, wherein the lower cap body 30 and the upper cap body 34 and the liner 32 are assembled together. The lower cap body 30 includes a cylindrical wall with threads 62 on the inner surface of the wall to engage the threaded neck of the solvent container. The inner diameter of the cylindrical wall is selected to match the diameter of the neck. Therefore, bottle caps of different diameters can be used with solvent bottles having different neck diameters.

[0037] The tab 66 extends upward to engage a complementary tab 70 or an opposing surface along the bottom circumference of the upper cover body 34. In a variation of this engagement structure, the tabs 66 and 70 can be designed to achieve a tongue-and-groove attachment. When the lower cover body 30 is rotated relative to the upper cover body 34, the tab 66 moves relative to the complementary tab / surface 70, preventing the two components from rotating.

[0038] Vertical separation.

[0039] In other embodiments, the means for engaging the lower cap body 30 and the upper cap body 34 may be different. For example, the diameter of the upper cap body 34 may be smaller than the diameter of the lower cap body 30, and instead of complementary tabs 70 extending radially inward, the tabs may extend radially outward to engage corresponding features on the lower cap body 30. In another alternative embodiment, the tabs 66 and 70 may each be replaced by a single structure that extends continuously around the circumference of the corresponding cap body 30 or 34, wherein the structure is sufficiently flexible so that the two bodies can be snapped together to form a bottle cap.

[0040] See again Figure 4A and Figure 4B , the upper cover body 34 includes a base ("bottom plate") 74 and a cover wall. The liner 32 is disposed in the lower cover body 30 and includes an opening 78 for the tube to extend through the solvent bottle. The liner 32 limits any evaporation that may occur to the external environment. A slot 82 for receiving an identification mark extends downwardly from the upper edge 36 through the cover wall. Preferably, the number of openings 78 is equal to or greater than the number of slots 82.

[0041] In addition to the slot 82, each attachment feature includes a pair of tabs 90 positioned adjacent the upper end of the slot 82 to hold the identification mark in place. Each tab 90 extends radially inward from the cover wall at the upper edge 36 and is adjacent to the side of the slot 82 opposite the other tab 90. Each pair of tabs 90 captures a flange portion of a mark inserted into the slot 82. For example, Figure 5A and Figure 5B There are shown a perspective view and a cutaway side view, respectively, of a bottle cap configured with a single solvent tube 14 and corresponding identifying indicia 26. The walls of the cap body 34 may be made of a flexible material to enhance ease of attaching or removing the indicia 26.

[0042] In other embodiments of bottle cap, the attachment features for receiving identification mark in the upper cover body can be different. In one example, the tab by which mark is retained in its slot can extend radially outward from the outer diameter of the upper cover body. In other examples, slot can not be utilized. On the contrary, the upper cover body can have an opening for circumferentially arranging and being configured to receive a locating pin, wherein each mark also has an opening for receiving a locating pin. In another example, each mark comprises features such as an attachment clip so that mark can be attached to the edge (for example, upper edge 36) on the upper cover body by interference fit. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other devices that can be used for attaching identification mark to the upper cover body.

[0043] In the examples described above, the identifying mark comprises a single alphanumeric character or a single symbol; however, two or more characters or symbols may be present on each mark. Similarly, for color-coded marks, more than one color may be used on the mark for identification.

[0044] In the illustrated example described herein, lower cap body 30 has screw thread, so that can engage with the part with screw thread on the neck of solvent bottle.In an alternative embodiment, lower cap body is formed by compliant material at least in part, and this compliant material allows lower cap body to insert in the neck of solvent bottle and engage the inner surface of neck.In such embodiment, lower cap body can engage the neck of bottle with the almost identical mode of using cork, although lower cap body is hollow so that solvent pipe passes through.Therefore, do not need screw thread, and do not need to rotate to be attached to solvent bottle or remove from solvent bottle.

[0045] While various examples have been shown and described, the description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive, and one skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. For example, the embodiments of the bottle cap described above are discussed in conjunction with solvents for use in chromatography systems; however, it will be appreciated that the bottle cap may be used with various other systems in which multiple liquids stored in separate containers are directed to various system ports.

Claims

1. A bottle cap for identifying a tube connected to a solvent container, comprising: a lower cover body having an axial opening and a cylindrical wall having threads thereon for engaging a threaded portion of the solvent container about the opening in the solvent container, wherein the lower cover body is securable to the solvent container; an upper cover body attached to the lower cover body and having a cover wall and a base with an opening therein for passing one or more solvent tubes therethrough, the upper cover body having at least one attachment feature for securing an identification mark; and A liner is disposed in the lower cover body and has one or more openings, wherein each opening in the liner is configured to pass one of the solvent tubes passing through the opening in the base of the upper cover body. 2 . The bottle cap according to claim 1 , wherein the upper cap body is configured to rotate around a cap axis independently of the lower cap body. 3 . The bottle cap according to claim 2 , wherein the lower cap body is fixable to the threaded neck of the solvent container by rotating about the cap axis. The bottle cap according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the lower cap body and the upper cap body is formed of high-density polyethylene. 5 . The bottle cap of claim 1 , further comprising the identification mark, and wherein the identification mark has an opening therein to allow one of the one or more solvent tubes to pass therethrough. 6 . The bottle cap of claim 5 , wherein the identification mark is configured to maintain a position of a portion of the solvent tube passing through the opening in the identification mark relative to the solvent container. The bottle cap according to claim 6 , wherein the identification mark is a tab configured to extend from the upper cap body.

8. The bottle cap of claim 5, wherein the identifying mark comprises at least one alphanumeric symbol.

9. The bottle cap of claim 5, wherein the identifying mark is color-coded.

10. The bottle cap of claim 5, wherein the identification mark is shape coded.

11. The bottle cap of claim 1 , wherein the attachment feature comprises a slot in the cap wall, the slot extending from an upper edge of the upper cap body.

12. The bottle cap of claim 11, wherein the upper cap body includes a pair of tabs adjacent an upper end of the slot, each tab extending radially inwardly from the cap wall at the upper edge and adjacent a side of the slot opposite the other tab.

13. The bottle cap of claim 5, wherein the identifying mark comprises an attachment clip, and wherein the attachment feature comprises a rim for receiving the attachment clip.

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