Separator, application thereof and assembly

Abstract

The invention relates to a spacer, a use thereof and an assembly. A frame-shaped rectangular spacer (34) for a pipette tip carrier (1) is configured to be stacked on top of another spacer to provide a vertical spacing (58) between the spacers for the pipette tip carrier. The spacer (34) includes a horizontal base surface (35), a peripheral side wall (36) standing substantially perpendicular to the base surface (35), the peripheral side wall (36) providing two longitudinal sides (37) and two lateral sides (38) connected to the base surface. The peripheral side wall (36) comprises an upper surface (39) on an upper edge (40) of the peripheral side wall (36) and a lower surface (41) on a lower edge (42) of the peripheral side wall, and the upper surface of the peripheral side wall is configured to support the pipette tip carrier (1). The spacers include a load transfer element (43) configured to transfer a vertical load directly from one spacer to a lower adjacent spacer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a frame-shaped, generally rectangular spacer for rectangular pipette tip carriers, the spacer being configured to be stacked on top of another spacer to provide vertical spacing between the spacers for the pipette tip carriers. An assembly includes a stack of at least two spacers with a pipette tip carrier positioned between the two spacers, and uses the spacers to create alternating stacks of spacers and pipette tip carriers. Background Art

[0002] In analytical, biological or pharmaceutical laboratories, small amounts of liquid are usually received and discharged using a pipette. Automatic liquid handling platforms are often used for this purpose, and they can both absorb and / or distribute liquid volume with high precision, yet achieve a high throughput rate for liquids and samples. This liquid handling platform usually includes a pipetting robot, which is equipped with disposable or disposable pipette tips to avoid contamination between the processing liquid or sample liquid. Because a carrier plate or carrier tray or even a stack of these carrier plates equipped with a tip is provided, the liquid handling platform is usually equipped with this disposable pipette tip. This carrier plate usually includes an array of pipette tips arranged in a standardized matrix so that the pipetting head of the pipetting robot can collect one or more of these pipette tips from a known position. The multichannel pipetting head of the pipetting robot can collect an array of one or more rows of pipettes or pipettes from the carrier plate by connecting each pipetting head to the pipette in the carrier. The pipette head is pushed onto the pipette tip and thereby applies a vertical load to the pipette carrier to elastically deform the collar of the pipette tip or the rubber seal on the pipette head. The friction fit engagement between the pipette head and the collar of the pipette helps to pick up the pipette. The pipettes used by the robot to aspirate and dispense liquids are discarded after use, resulting in an increased demand for disposable pipette tips that need to be stored in the pipetting robot. Space-saving solutions have been developed to store disposable tips, such as by stacking multiple pipette tip carriers using spacers.

[0003] From the prior art, known carrier plates for disposable pipette tips and stacking of such carrier plates with inserted pipette tips for depositing tips. EP2210668A2 discloses a storage system, which comprises a rectangular box of a frame shape and a rectangular pipette carrier plate with a plurality of holes arranged in a matrix for inserting pipette tips. The pipette carrier plate can be placed on the rectangular box so that the space in the box can be used for the pipette tips extending through the holes of the carrier plate. Disclose a spacer for providing an alternating stack of pipette carrier plates, each carrier plate is separated by spacer. Spacer comprises a rectangular frame around a plate with a passage arranged according to the pattern identical with the hole in the pipette carrier plate, so that the pipette tips inserted in the carrier are guided through the passage of spacer. The end that the pipette tip engages with the carrier is fitted in the opening of the pipette on the lower adjacent carrier that is arranged by spacer. The use of multiple carrier plates and multiple spacers allows for space-saving nesting of pipette tips, whereby vertical loads (e.g., during collection of pipette tips by a pipetting robot) are repeatedly transferred from the carrier to the spacers and finally via the rectangular cassette to the workstation of the pipetting robot. The spacers and carriers require a certain wall thickness and mechanical strength to absorb the vertical loads.

[0004] EP2848308B1 discloses a kind of rectangular spacer for pipette tip carrier being stacked on each other.Spacer is sandwiched between two carriers, and vertical load (for example in robot picks up pipette process) is transferred to spacer from carrier in an alternating manner.Each spacer comprises two elastic elements near each corner, and when spacer is placed on lower adjacent carrier, it can be deflected by the guide surface of lower adjacent pipette carrier.Elastic element is intended to reduce the horizontal clearance in the stacking of multiple carriers and spacer.Vertical load in picking up pipette process is transferred to spacer from the edge (edge) of carrier, and this needs the hard structure of carrier and spacer.

[0005] EP 4190452A1 discloses a rectangular spacer for releasably stacking rectangular pipette tip carriers. The spacer is sandwiched between two carriers, and vertical loads are transferred from the carriers to the spacer in an alternating manner. Each spacer includes a resilient element near each corner to reduce horizontal clearance within a stack of multiple carriers and spacers. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The alternating load transfer from the pipette carrier to the spacer requires that both the spacer and the pipette carrier be manufactured with low dimensional tolerances to reduce the stacking of multiple tolerances that could affect the effective transfer of vertical loads. Furthermore, the vertical load is transferred to the spacer only via the edges of the carrier, necessitating a rigid and material-intensive carrier construction.

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and to provide a spacer for pipette tip carriers stacked one on top of another, which spacer improves the stability of the stack and avoids the accumulation of multiple dimensional tolerances. Another object is to provide a pipette carrier and spacer assembly with efficient spacer-to-spacer load transfer, which assembly requires less material or reduces the carbon footprint of the assembly.

[0008] These objectives are addressed by a frame-shaped, generally rectangular spacer for a rectangular pipette tip carrier, the spacer being configured to be stacked one atop another to provide vertical spacing between spacers for a pipette tip carrier, wherein the spacer comprises:

[0009] horizontal base surface,

[0010] a peripheral side wall standing substantially perpendicular to the base surface, providing two longitudinal sides and two lateral sides, wherein each longitudinal side and lateral side comprises an inner side connected to the base surface,

[0011] The peripheral sidewall comprises an upper surface disposed on an upper rim of the peripheral sidewall and a lower surface disposed on a lower rim of the peripheral sidewall, wherein the upper and lower surfaces extend substantially horizontally, and the upper surface of the peripheral sidewall is configured to support a pipette tip carrier,

[0012] The spacers include load transfer elements configured to transfer vertical loads from one spacer directly to a lower adjacent spacer.

[0013] A first aspect of the present invention relates to a frame-shaped, generally rectangular spacer for a rectangular pipette tip carrier, which is configured to be stacked on top of another spacer, thereby providing vertical spacing between the spacers for the pipette tip carrier. Alternatively, the spacer can be stacked on top of a pipette box intended to be placed on a workbench of a pipette robot. The spacer includes a horizontal base surface connected to a peripheral sidewall that stands substantially perpendicular to the base surface, and the peripheral sidewall provides two longitudinal sides and two lateral sides. Each longitudinal side and each lateral side includes an inner side or inner surface connected to the base surface. The peripheral sidewall includes an upper surface arranged on the upper edge of the peripheral sidewall and a lower surface arranged on the lower edge of the peripheral sidewall. The upper and lower surfaces or edges extend substantially horizontally and are preferably arranged parallel to each other. At least a portion of the upper surface or upper edge of the peripheral sidewall is configured to support the pipette tip carrier. The spacer includes a load transfer element that is configured to transfer a vertical load directly from one spacer to the lower adjacent spacer. In some embodiments, pipette tip carrier is positioned on the upper edge of the top spacer.Vertical load may be applied to the pipette tip carrier positioned on the top spacer. Subsequently, the vertical load in the stacking of alternating spacer and pipette tip carrier will be transferred from spacer to spacer, and vertical load will not be transferred to one of the pipette tip carrier positioned between the spacer. By load transmitting element, load is transferred from spacer to spacer without vertical force being transferred to the pipette tip carrier, which means that the superposition of the dimensional tolerance in the stacking of a plurality of spacers and carrier is determined by the manufacturing tolerance of spacer (because pipette tip carrier is not subjected to vertical load). Therefore, the manufacturing tolerance of spacer needs to be stricter, or in other words, compared with the stacking of the alternating spacer and carrier with the load of spacer-to-carrier, the dimensional accuracy of pipette tip carrier may require lower. The mechanical strength of pipette carrier also can be adjusted to adapt to the load principle of spacer-to-spacer so that wall thickness can be reduced, causing the use of for example polymeric material to reduce, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of carrier, and reducing the carbon footprint of the stacking of carrier and spacer thus.

[0014] The load transfer element on each spacer may include a protrusion extending perpendicularly from the upper surface of the spacer, for example, extending perpendicularly from each corner of the spacer. The spacer may include at least one protrusion extending perpendicularly from the top surface, preferably two protrusions, more preferably three protrusions, and most preferably four protrusions. The protrusions may be located near the corners of the rectangular spacer or at each corner. The protrusions may be oriented perpendicularly to the horizontal base surface or may be angled relative to the horizontal base surface. The protrusions may all be oriented parallel to each other, or one or more of the protrusions may be positioned at a different angle relative to the horizontal base surface compared to the other protrusions. Each protrusion may have a hemispherical end face, an inclined end face, a tapered end face, or a surface that is generally parallel to the horizontal base surface. Each protrusion may include facets surrounding the end face. The cross-section of the protrusion may be circular for cylindrical protrusions, or may be rectangular, triangular, or elliptical. The end face of the protrusion is adapted to engage a stop surface on the upper adjacent spacer.

[0015] The stop surface may be recessed from the lower surface or lower edge of the spacer and may be located at one or each corner of the spacer, or may be located adjacent one or each corner of the spacer. The stop surface may be complementary to the end surface of the protrusion of the lower adjacent spacer and may be flat, inclined or hemispherical.

[0016] The stop surfaces on each corner of the spacer and the end surface on each protrusion define a virtual plane, and the plane connecting the end surfaces on the protrusions and the plane connecting the stop surfaces are preferably oriented parallel to each other and preferably parallel to the horizontal base surface.

[0017] The vertical load can ultimately be transferred to the workbench via the pipetting cassette. Thus, the last spacer can rest against the upper edge of the pipetting cassette.

[0018] In one embodiment, the protrusion extending vertically from the upper surface and the stop surface recessed from the lower surface can be substantially vertically aligned relative to one another. Alternatively, the protrusion and the stop surface can be horizontally offset relative to one another. The center of the protrusion and the stop surface can define an axis, and the axis can be inclined or perpendicular relative to the base surface of the spacer. The alignment of the protrusion, and thus the top surface of the protrusion, with the stop surface ensures efficient vertical load transfer from spacer to spacer through the load transfer element.

[0019] The load transfer elements of the spacers engage with the load transfer elements of the lower and / or upper adjacent spacers in the stack of spacers. A stop surface recessed from the lower surface of each spacer is configured to abut an end of a protrusion extending from the lower adjacent spacer. An end of each protrusion extending from the upper surface of each spacer is configured to abut a stop surface of the upper adjacent spacer.

[0020] The stop surface on the spacer can be part of a protrusion extending perpendicularly from the horizontal base surface toward the lower edge. The protrusion, or at least the stop surface on the protrusion, can be recessed relative to the lower edge. The stop surface can be part of the peripheral sidewall, such as a horizontal flange located within the corner of the peripheral wall connecting the longitudinal and transverse sides. Alternatively, the stop surface can be located at the end of a rib that protrudes inward from at least one corner, such as protruding diagonally inward.

[0021] The vertical distance between the upper and lower edges of the peripheral sidewall is preferably less than the length of the load transfer element, which is defined by the vertical distance between the end of the protrusion extending vertically from the upper surface and the stop surface recessed from the lower surface. When the pipette tip carriers are stacked between two spacers, there will be a vertical gap for the pipette tip carriers to prevent vertical loads from being transferred from one spacer to the adjacent spacer below, as long as the vertical dimension of the pipette tip carrier at the peripheral sidewall position is less than the vertical dimension of the gap.

[0022] The upper edge of the peripheral side wall may include a protrusion for holding and supporting the pipette tip carrier. The protrusion may protrude upward from the upper edge of the side wall. The protrusion may engage with a complementary recessed portion in the bottom surface.

[0023] The load transfer element on each spacer can also comprise a projection extending vertically downward from the lower ridge of the peripheral sidewall, and the downward projection is configured to pass the complementary opening in the pipette tip carrier sandwiched between the two spacers. The end face of the downward projection is configured to abut against the upper surface of the peripheral sidewall of the lower adjacent spacer. The horizontal clearance between the projection extending vertically from the lower ridge and the complementary opening in the carrier prevents the vertical load transfer between the spacer and the carrier, and ensures that the spacer can be removed from the stacking independent of the pipette tip carrier.

[0024] The horizontal base surface of the partition may include a projection at the center of the rectangular partition, which projects vertically to the upper ridge of the peripheral sidewall and to the lower ridge of the peripheral sidewall, and the top surface of the projection is configured to abut against the pipette tip carrier positioned above the partition, and the bottom surface of the projection is configured to abut against the pipette tip carrier positioned below the partition during vertical loading. The projection is preferably attached to the horizontal base surface and is integrated with the rectangular partition in, for example, an injection molding process. The projection can extend vertically upward and downward from the horizontal base surface. Alternatively, the projection is a separate component, and a portion of the projection is snap-fitted onto the center of the top surface of the base surface, and another portion of the projection is snap-fitted onto the center of the bottom surface of the base surface.

[0025] In the stacking of alternating spacers and pipette tip carriers, the central projection can support the transfer of the vertical load from spacer to spacer by the center of the pipette tip carrier placed between the two spacers. In the process of picking up the pipette, the pipette head may apply a vertical load to the center of the pipette carrier, and this central load is transferred to the lower adjacent spacer by the edge of the pipette tip carrier. The pipette tip carrier can be bent toward the lower adjacent spacer, and the central protrusion of this spacer can support the bottom surface of the pipette carrier. The central projection is preferably designed so that in the static position when no load is applied, the projection of the upward ridge and the projection of the downward ridge do not contact with the pipette tray. Preferably, the end face of the central projection does not extend beyond the upper ridge and the lower ridge of the peripheral side wall. The projection can have a circular cross-section, a rectangular cross-section, or can have an external shape that is adapted to the internal shape of the clamp of the pipetting robot, so that the clamping spacer can be clamped. When no pipette tip carrier is placed between the spacers, the extension extending upward from the center of the spacer can be configured to receive the extension extending downward from the center of the spacer placed above the spacer. The engagement of the center extensions of the spacers can facilitate stacking of the spacers for transport or processing within a pipetting robot.

[0026] Alternatively, a central projection is located on a pipette tip carrier tray configured to engage with an opening in the center of a spacer. Projections protruding from the top of a carrier can abut or engage projections protruding from the bottom of an upper adjacent carrier, while projections protruding from the bottom of a carrier can engage projections protruding from the top surface of the carrier. The top and bottom central projections engage through the central opening of a spacer positioned between the carriers.

[0027] The horizontal base surface of the spacer may include a plurality of openings oriented according to a pattern complementary to the pattern of the pipette receptacles in the pipette tip carrier. The plurality of openings are preferably circular openings that intersect with each other, providing a clover-shaped opening. The opening provides space for a pipette engaged with the upper adjacent pipette carrier, and the ridges of the opening axially secure the pipette engaged with the lower adjacent spacer (e.g., during transport).

[0028] The horizontal base may also include ribs extending from the top and / or bottom surface of the horizontal base to mechanically reinforce the horizontal base surface of the spacer. The ribs may be positioned between the plurality of openings and may be connected to the central protrusion. Alternatively, the corrugated structure may be incorporated into the horizontal base surface or base layer.

[0029] In one embodiment, a spacer may include a centering spring element at each corner, and the centering spring element is configured to act on a protrusion on each corner of the lower adjacent spacer. The spacer is positioned with horizontal and / or vertical clearance on the lower adjacent spacer, thereby serving as a centering aid or twisting obstacle in the stack of the spacer and the lower adjacent spacer. The centering aid corrects misalignment in the horizontal plane. The twisting obstacle realigns the stack of spacers that have been twisted or rotated about the vertical axis of the stack.

[0030] The spring element of spacer acts directly on the next adjacent spacer, and does not act on the pipette tip carrier positioned between spacer and the next adjacent spacer. The centering auxiliary provided by the spring element or the twisting obstacle acts on the spacer from the spacer when not involving the pipette tip carrier, which makes the dimensional manufacturing tolerance of the carrier less strict. The spring element is preferably located at a position relative to the projection extending vertically from the top surface and facing the lower ridge.

[0031] The centering spring element at each corner of the spacer may at least partially surround the stop surface.The centering spring element may surround a rib protruding inwardly from the corner or a horizontal flange located inwardly of the corner.

[0032] The spring element can be configured to at least partially surround a protrusion at each corner of a lower, adjacently positioned spacer. The spring element can extend vertically, with one end of the spring element attached or attachable to the bottom of the horizontal base surface and the other end configured to flex along a diagonal of the rectangular spacer or toward the center of the spacer. The spring element can also be mechanically supported by a fin extending from the bottom of the horizontal base surface, and the fin can be coupled to or adjacent to the spring element to reduce or adjust the degree of deflection of the spring element.

[0033] The spring element can be half-shell shaped, or at least have a cross-section that is half-shell shaped, and has a radius adapted to engage with the outer radius of the column-shaped protrusion of the lower adjacent spacer when the spacer is positioned above the lower adjacent spacer. During placement, the spring element can elastically deform when engaging the protrusion of the lower adjacent spacer. The half-shell can be positioned at the corner with the outer surface of the half-shell facing the inner surface of the peripheral wall of the corner, or with the inner surface of the half-shell facing the peripheral wall of the corner.

[0034] A second aspect relates to an assembly comprising at least two spacers and a stack of rectangular pipette tip carriers located between the two spacers, wherein the pipette tip carrier comprises a plate comprising:

[0035] - a lower surface for engaging with the upper surface of a lower adjacent spacer,

[0036] - Multiple pipette receptacles for removably holding pipette tips,

[0037] - corner sockets at each corner of the plate to fit onto the protrusions of the lower adjacent spacer,

[0038] - an opening providing a passage for a protrusion extending perpendicularly from a lower edge of the peripheral sidewall of the upper adjacent partition, the end of the protrusion extending perpendicularly from the lower edge being configured to abut against an upper edge of the peripheral sidewall of the lower adjacent partition.

[0039] The lower surface of the plate, or at least the lower surface of the plate edge region, may engage with the upper surface of the lower adjacent spacer, or may engage with a projection protruding from the upper surface of the lower adjacent spacer. The opening in the plate, or preferably in the plate edge region, may be a closed opening or may be provided as a cutout in the plate edge.

[0040] A third aspect relates to the use of at least one spacer according to the invention, wherein stacks of pipette tip carriers provided with pipette tips spaced apart by the spacer are produced. These stacks are stacks of alternating pipette tip carriers and spacers.

[0041] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] The embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show:

[0043] Figure 1 : A top perspective view of a pipette tip carrier according to the present invention,

[0044] Figure 2 : Bottom perspective view of a pipette tip carrier according to the present invention,

[0045] Figure 2a : Bottom view of a pipette tip carrier according to another embodiment,

[0046] Figure 3 : Details of the corner area of ​​the pipette tip carrier and the pipetting robot gripper that hold the pipettes,

[0047] Figure 4a : Detail of the thin rectangular edge guard of the pipette carrier, which allows the first row of pipette tips to be picked up by a pipetting robot.

[0048] Figure 4b : Detail of the medium-thick rectangular edge guard of the pipette carrier, which allows the first row of pipette tips to be picked up by a pipetting robot.

[0049] Figure 4c : Detail of the high-thickness rectangular edge guard of the pipette carrier, which prevents the pipette robot from picking up the first row of pipette tips due to the collision of the pipette head's collar adapter with the edge guard before picking up the pipette tips.

[0050] Figure 4d: Detail of the thin rectangular bezel of the pipette carrier, allowing detection of missing tips in the carrier,

[0051] Figure 4e : Detail of the rectangular edge guard area of ​​the pipette carrier, which does not allow detection of missing tips due to the hard stop of the collar adapter in the edge guard of the carrier.

[0052] Figure 5 : Figure 1 and Figure 2 The packaging of the pipette tip carrier is shown in the expanded configuration.

[0053] Figure 6 : Figure 1 and Figure 2 The folded packaging of the pipette tip carrier is shown in

[0054] Figure 7 : Holds the packaging of two pipette tip carriers,

[0055] Figure 8 : Figure 7 The longitudinal section of the packaging shown in

[0056] Figure 9 :Used for Figure 1 and Figure 2 A perspective top view of a spacer for a pipette tip carrier shown in

[0057] Figure 10 : A perspective bottom view of a spacer for a pipette tip carrier,

[0058] Figure 11 : Exploded view of two partitions with three pipette tip carriers positioned in between.

[0059] Figure 12 : Stacking of pipette tip carriers and spacers,

[0060] Figure 13 : Figure 12 Stacked longitudinal section,

[0061] Figure 14 : Details of the stacked corner area,

[0062] Figure 15 : Detail of spacer-to-spacer stacking through the spacer protrusions and the openings in the longitudinal skirt area of ​​the pipette tip carrier,

[0063] Figure 16 : Details of the corner area, cross-section.

[0064] Reference Signs List

[0065] 1 rectangular pipette tip carrier

[0066] 2 disposable pipette tips

[0067] 3 rectangular top plates

[0068] 4 Outer wall

[0069] 5 Rectangular edge guard

[0070] 6 Hollow columns

[0071] 7 Circular opening

[0072] 8 channels

[0073] 9 ribs, connecting ribs

[0074] 10 Edge protection ribs

[0075] 11 Opening

[0076] 12 longitudinal side

[0077] 13 lateral side

[0078] 14 openings, corner openings

[0079] 15 Corner Ribs

[0080] 16 corner outer wall

[0081] 17 Bottom

[0082] 18 bottom wall

[0083] 19 Guide components

[0084] 20 packs

[0085] 21 outer side wall

[0086] 22 longitudinal side

[0087] 23 lateral side

[0088] 24 rectangular boxes

[0089] 25 top edge

[0090] 26 bottom edge

[0091] 27 protrusions, petals extending from the top ridge

[0092] 28 protrusions, petals extending from the bottom ridge

[0093] 29 Top cover

[0094] 30 bottom cover

[0095] 31 Closure cover

[0096] 32 pipette collars

[0097] 33 Pipette tube

[0098] 34 rectangular spacers

[0099] 35 Horizontal base surface

[0100] 36 outer side wall

[0101] 37 longitudinal side

[0102] 38 lateral side

[0103] 39 upper surface

[0104] 40 Upper Edge

[0105] 41 lower surface

[0106] 42 lower edge

[0107] 43 Load transfer element

[0108] 44 protrusion

[0109] 45 Stop surface

[0110] 46 protruding end

[0111] 47 ribs

[0112] 48 Vertical distance between upper and lower edges

[0113] 49 Length of load transfer element

[0114] 50 bulge

[0115] 51 protrusion

[0116] 52 protrusion

[0117] 53 Opening

[0118] 54 Spring element

[0119] 55 Cut-out

[0120] 56 support ribs

[0121] 57 Gap

[0122] 58 Label Area

[0123] 59 recess

[0124] 60 ridges

[0125] 61 Gripper Pipetting Robot

[0126] 62 pipetting tips

[0127] 63 Slit

[0128] 64 closed valve

[0129] 65Predetermined fold line; predetermined fold

[0130] 66 Foldable Sheet

[0131] 67 Corrugated structure

[0132] 68 Pipette Box

[0133] 69 Stacked Heap

[0134] 70 collar adapter

[0135] 71 reinforcement ribs DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0136] Definitions: The distal end and the distal direction are defined by the direction of liquid flow, so the distal end of a pipette is defined by the outlet of the pipette tip, and the proximal end is opposite the distal end. The term inferior means below or below; the term superior means above or above. The word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude plurality. For example, "an opening" does not exclude the possibility that there may be two openings that can functionally and structurally achieve the purpose of the "opening".

[0137] The top view and bottom view of the pipette tip carrier 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention are respectively as shown in FIG. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown. The pipette tip carrier 1 has a rectangular outer shape with a rectangular top plate 3 surrounded by a peripheral wall 4, which connects the top plate 3 to a rectangular protective edge 5. The top plate 3 defines a horizontal plane and the rectangular protective edge 5 is also oriented horizontally. The top plate 3 includes a plurality of circular openings 7, which are organized into a matrix of rows and columns according to the ANSI / SLAS microplate standard (for example according to the 96-well-plate standard (ANSISLAS 4-2004 (R2012): well positions). Hollow columns 6 depend from the circular openings 7 or start from the circular openings 7, providing a matrix of channels 8 through the pipette tip carrier 1. The pipette tip carrier can use the channels 8 to releasably hold disposable pipette tips 2 (see Figure 3). The peripheral wall 4 may include a labeling area 58 for printing information such as a brand name or a two-dimensional or three-dimensional bar code for identification or logistics purposes. The peripheral wall 4 may also include a recess 59. The rectangular guard 5 includes a longitudinal side 12 and a transverse side 13 and is relatively thin in order to save material. The thickness of the guard is less than 3 mm, preferably less than 2 mm, and more preferably less than 1.5 mm. The relatively thin rectangular guard 5 is reinforced by a plurality of ribs 10 that connect the top surface of the rectangular guard 5 to the peripheral wall 4. Further, the ribs 10 provide guidance for and limit the horizontal clearance of the cover, which may be placed on the pipette tip carrier 1. The top surface of the rib 10 can be used to mechanically detect the presence of the pipette tip carrier by a gripper of a pipetting robot. The gap between two ribs 10 on the peripheral wall or on the top surface of the guard 5 can be provided for the labeling area 58. The rectangular guard 5 includes an opening 14 at each corner of the pipette tip carrier, which is suitable for engaging with a complementary protrusion of a spacer that will be placed below the pipette tip carrier, as will be discussed further below. Alternatively, the opening 14 engages with a protrusion of a pipetting box fixed on the workbench of the pipetting robot. Rounded edges (e.g., faceted edges) may surround each opening 14 providing an entrance area for guiding the protrusions during stacking of spacers and pipette tip carriers. The rounded edges may further locally strengthen the rectangular guard 5 in the corner area. The size of the opening 14 may be set so that there is a horizontal clearance between the opening 14 and the protrusion of the spacer, or so that there may be a friction fit engagement between the outer surface of the protrusion and the inner surface of the opening 14. The form-fit engagement may allow the temporary transport of the spacer and the assembly of the carrier only by clamping the carrier. Preferably, only the spacer is clamped by the pipetting robot in a form-fit or friction fit engagement manner.

[0138] The corner ribs 15 can connect the opening 14 or the rounded ribs around the opening 14 to the peripheral wall 4, preferably to the corners 16 of the peripheral wall. The rectangular guard 5 can further include at least one opening 11, preferably two openings 11 that pass through the two longitudinal sides 12 or the two transverse sides 13 of the guard. The opening 11 can have a rectangular, circular or triangular shape and provide a passage for a complementary protrusion of the upper adjacent partition. The corners of the opening can be rounded and the edges of the opening can include facets. In order to mechanically support the rectangular guard 5 around the opening 11, the opening 11 can be surrounded by a rib. The rectangular guard 5 can include a cutout 55 that provides a passage for a protrusion of the upper adjacent partition.

[0139] The pipette tip carrier 1 may include a bottom wall 18 extending perpendicularly from the bottom surface 17 of the rectangular guard 5. The bottom wall 18 of the matrix surrounding the channels 8 and the ends of the columns 6 providing the channels 8 are preferably flush or aligned with the bottom surface 17 of the rectangular guard 5. Alternatively, the columns extend through the bottom surface 17, although further extension of the columns beyond the bottom surface 17 may result in the use of unnecessary material. Further extension of the columns can mechanically strengthen the pipette tip carrier. The columns 6 can be directly connected to nearby columns via connecting ribs 9 to mechanically strengthen the pipette tip carrier. The columns 6 can also intersect with nearby columns without using connecting ribs 9, and the columns 6 can be connected to the inner surface of the peripheral wall 4 via connecting ribs, or (as Figure 2 The pillars (shown in FIG) may intersect the inner surface of the peripheral wall 4. Depending on the location within the pipette tip carrier, the thickness of the ribs may vary according to local requirements defined by the mechanical stresses in the carrier when loaded vertically. The ribs 9 in the middle of the carrier may be thicker than the ribs toward the outer areas of the skirt 5.

[0140] The recess 59 on the bottom wall 18 of the carrier may include a horizontal ridge 60 that can serve as a vertical position keeper for stacking multiple carriers or provide a snap-fit ​​connection between two carriers or between a carrier and a patented box. Guide members 19 on the bottom wall 18 can be used for self-alignment or clamping purposes. The recess 59 and / or guide members 19 can locally reinforce the bottom wall 18.

[0141] Figure 2a An alternative embodiment of a pipette tip carrier is shown. A view of the bottom surface 17 shows two openings 11 in the carrier's skirt and a bottom wall 18 extending through the bottom surface 17. Multiple channels 8 for pipette tips are surrounded by columns that are connected to each other by connecting ribs 9. Figure 2a The embodiment shown in is additionally mechanically supported by a reinforcement rib 71 connecting the two connecting ribs 9 to one another, which reinforcement rib 71 provides a vertically oriented reinforcement rib. Figure 2a Middle reinforcing rib 71 vertical orientation and be oriented to be parallel with the lateral side of pipette tip carrier.Alternately, reinforcing rib horizontal orientation is parallel with the longitudinal side of pipette tip carrier.In another embodiment, there is horizontal and vertically oriented reinforcing rib 71.

[0142] Figure 3 Detail of a corner area of ​​a pipette tip carrier 1 holding a pipette 2 is shown. The pipette 2 comprises a collar 32 engaged with the top plate 3 of the carrier and a pipette tube 33 extending from the collar 32 through a channel. A gripper 61 of a pipetting robot bears against the top surface of the rib 10, for example to mechanically detect the presence of a tray. The pipetting robot may comprise a pipetting head 62 for collecting the pipette tips 2, see Figures 4a to 4eThe thickness and position of the rectangular rim 5 define the height of the peripheral wall 4, which may affect the accessibility of picking up a single row of pipette tips from the pipette tip matrix in the carrier (see 4a to Figure 4c ) or detection of missing pipette tips (see Figures 4d to 4e ). The pipetting head 62 comprises a number of collar adapters 70 which are lowered by the pipetting robot towards the collar 32 of the pipette 2 to pick up the pipette. When the collar adapter 70 of the pipetting head abuts against a mechanical stop (e.g., the rectangular edge 5 of the carrier 1), the method is terminated and the rectangular edge 5 ( Figure 4a and Figure 4b ) can provide sufficient access for the pipettes in the carrier to pick up a single row of pipettes without adjacent ring adapters 70 coming into contact with the guard 5 surrounding the carrier. If the pipetting robot detects a hard stop before effectively picking up a pipette from the carrier, the picking of the tip may be jeopardized or the picking of the row may damage the pipetting robot's hardware, see Figure 4c , wherein the thickness of the guard 5 affects that the ring adapter 70 abuts the guard 5 before the adjacent ring adapter 70 can capture the pipette tip 2 from the first row. The thickness of the rectangular guard 5 may also affect the detection of a missing pipette row in the pipette tip carrier. Figure 4d A pipette tip carrier 1 is shown with the first row of pipettes 2 missing, and the pipetting robot's firmware is able to detect the missing row because the vertical position of the pipette head 62 with the collar adapter 70 would typically detect an increase in the vertical force required to pick up the pipette, since the collar adapter 70 may need to elastically deform the edges of the collar 32 of the pipette. The collar adapters adjacent to the collar adapter that is entering the channel 8 of the pipette carrier 1 do not abut against the thin-walled rectangular guard 5. Figure 4e The thicker peripheral guard 5 shown in FIG will cause a hard stop on the ring adapter 70 adjacent to the ring adapter entering the first row of channels 8, and the hard stop on the guard will be detected before the pipetting robot's firmware can detect the missing row. Therefore, the thin-walled peripheral guard 5 can provide a versatile solution when used in a pipetting robot.

[0143] Figures 5 to 8 An example of a package 20 for a pipette tip carrier is shown in FIG. The package 20 is based on a foldable sheet 66 that is stamped from a board of material such as paperboard, coated paperboard, plastic or a synthetic material. The foldable sheet 66 comprises two longitudinal sides 22 connected by transverse sides 23. Each longitudinal side 22 comprises two protrusions or flaps, flap or protrusion 27 and flap or protrusion 28, which extend from the top edge 25 and the bottom edge 26 of the package 20 after the sheet 66 has been folded into a rectangular box 24 (see FIG. Figure 6). The top cover 29 and the bottom cover 30 are attached to one of the two lateral sides 23, and a closure cover or closure flap extends from the top cover and the bottom cover, respectively. A closure seam 63 is included in the other of the two lateral sides 23 and is configured to engage the closure cover 31. A closure flap 64 is attached to one of the lateral sides 23 for closing the rectangular box 24. A fold line or predetermined fold is integrated into the foldable sheet 66, for example, a perforated line or a cut line 65 may be integrated into the foldable sheet 66. The two protrusions or flaps 27 or 28 may include barbed hooks for releasably securing the pipette tip carrier to the package.

[0144] The foldable sheet 66 can be folded into Figure 6 , the rectangular box 24 shown in FIG, provides a folded package 20. Top ribs 25 and bottom ribs 26 extend from the upper and lower surfaces of the longitudinal sides 22 and lateral sides 23 to provide top and bottom openings for inserting two pipette tip carriers 1. The top and bottom openings are surrounded by the top and bottom ribs, respectively. Protrusions or flaps 27, 28 extend from the top rib 25 and bottom rib 26, respectively. The top cover 29 and bottom cover 30 can be bent from a vertical orientation that allows the carriers to access the top and bottom ribs to close the package.

[0145] Figure 7 2 shows an assembly comprising a package 20 and two pipette tip carriers 1. The two carriers 1 are inserted separately with the bottom surfaces 17 of their respective retaining edges 5 facing the top ridges 25 and bottom ridges 26 of the package 20. The pipette tube 33, which is releasably connected to the two pipette tip carriers, is enclosed in a rectangular box 24, and two flaps 27 extending from the top ridges 25 engage with the opening 11 of one of the two pipette tip carriers. Two flaps 28 extending from the bottom ridges 26 engage with the opening 11 of the other of the two pipette tip carriers. Optional barbed hooks on the flaps can temporarily secure the carrier to the package. The bottom surface 17 on the rectangular retaining edge 5 of each pipette tip carrier is supported by the top and bottom ridges 25, 26 of the rectangular box 24, and the engagement between the protrusions 27, 28 and the opening 11 prevents displacement between the rectangular retaining edge 5 of the carrier and the rectangular box 24. The package 20 is closed by folding the top cover 29 and the bottom cover 30 so that the covers are aligned with the horizontal plane of the pipette tip carrier. The closure lid 31 is attached to the lateral side 23 of the package with a seam 63 (see FIG. Figure 5 ). Figure 8 A longitudinal section through a package containing two pipette tip carriers 2 is shown. To save space, the pipette tips 2 are arranged in a space-saving manner, and the pipette tubes 33 of each carrier engage with one another. After opening the closure cap 31 and tilting the top cover 29 and bottom cover 30 toward a vertical position, the two pipette tip carriers 1 can be removed from each side of the box.

[0146] Figure 9 and Figure 10 Shown is a rectangular spacer 34 for stacking pipette tip carriers. Spacer 34 comprises a horizontal base surface 35 surrounded by peripheral sidewalls 36, which are roughly oriented vertically relative to base surface 35. Base surface 35 comprises a semicircular opening 53, the center of which is oriented to the same pattern as the channel 8 in the pipette tip carrier. The semicircular openings 53 may intersect, resulting in a plurality of clover-shaped openings. The opening provides a channel for the pipette 33 of the pipette tip 2 engaged with the pipette tip carrier positioned above the spacer 34, and prevents the collar 33 from being displaced from the pipette tip carrier positioned below the spacer 34. The horizontal base surface 35 is strengthened with a corrugated structure 67 so that material is added to the base surface where it is needed mechanically. The peripheral sidewalls 36 comprise two longitudinal sides 37 and two transverse sides 38, providing an upper ridge 40 and a lower ridge 42 oriented parallel to each other. A projection 50 extends upward from the upper surface 39 of the upper rib, and a protrusion 51 extends downward from the lower surface 41 of the lower rib 42. At each corner of the rectangular spacer 34, a protrusion 44 protrudes upward from the upper surface 39. A protrusion 52 protrudes from the center of the rectangular spacer 34 to the upper rib 40 ( Figure 9 ), and also protrudes from the center downward ridge 42 ( Figure 10 ). A load transfer element 43 is located at each corner of the rectangular spacer 34, the load transfer element 43 comprising a protrusion 44 and a stop surface 45. Optionally, there are additional load transfer elements located between the corners of the spacer. Figure 14 and Figure 15 Further details of the load transfer elements are explained in . Figure 10 35 further illustrates spring elements 54 surrounding the stop surface 45 at each corner, with the spring elements 54 connected to the bottom surface of the horizontal base surface 35, and with the free ends of the spring elements 54 capable of deflecting toward the center or corners of the rectangular spacer 34. The spring elements 54 may be mechanically supported by support ribs 56 that protrude from the bottom surface of the base 35. The load transfer elements 43 provide for the transfer of vertical loads from a spacer to the adjacent spacer below, while the spring elements 54 provide for proper spacer-to-spacer alignment in the spacer stack.

[0147] Figure 11An exploded view of a stack of alternating spacers 34 and pipette tip carriers 1 is depicted. Each pipette tip carrier 1 is positioned so that the opening 14 at each corner is on a protrusion 44 at each corner of the lower adjacent spacer. The protrusion 51 protruding from the lower edge 42 of each spacer 34 is aligned with the cutout 55 and opening 11 in the rectangular bead 5 of each pipette tip carrier 1 so that the opening 11 provides a passage for the protrusion, preferably without contacting or abutting the protrusion 51, thereby avoiding the transfer of vertical loads from the spacer 34 to the pipette tip carrier 1 positioned below the spacer. The clearance in the horizontal plane between the protrusion 51 on the spacer and the cutout 55 or opening 11 on the carrier is sufficient to avoid direct contact.

[0148] The stack 69 of spacers 34 and carriers 1 is as shown in FIG. Figure 12 As shown. The stack is placed on top of a pipette cassette 68 that releasably holds the stack, so that the stack or a portion of the stack can be removed by a gripper of a pipetting robot. The pipette cassette 68 can be fixed to the workbench of the pipetting robot. Each pipette tip carrier 1 is placed on the upper surface 39 of the upper edge 40 of the lower adjacent partition. Optionally, the carrier is supported by a protrusion 50. A protrusion 51 protruding downward from the lower edge of each partition abuts the upper surface 39 of the lower adjacent partition through a cutout 55 in the rectangular edge guard 5 of each pipette tip carrier 1 or through an opening 11. The pipette tip carrier 1 is located in the vertical space or gap between the two partitions 34, and a vertical load applied to the pipette tip carrier 1 on top of the stack is transferred to the upper edge 40 of the first partition 34 through the rectangular edge guard 5, and then the vertical load is transferred to the second partition 34 through the load transfer elements 43 at each corner of the first partition and / or through the protrusion 51 extending from the lower edge of the first partition. The vertical load is finally transferred to the working table of the pipetting robot through the pipetting box 68. The details of the load transfer by the load transfer element 43 are as follows: Figure 14 As shown, the details of the load transfer through the protrusion 51 are as follows Figure 15 shown.

[0149] The longitudinal section of the stack is as follows Figure 13 As shown. The vertical load of the pipette tip carrier 1 from the top is transferred to the upper edge 40 of the first partition 34 via the rectangular edge 5. The first partition 34 includes a base surface 35 surrounded by a peripheral side wall 36, and the base surface 35 is reinforced by a corrugated structure 67 (see also Figure 9 If the upper pipette tip carrier 34 flexes or bends due to a vertical load, the extension 52, which in the rest position does not contact the lower or upper adjacent pipette tip carrier, can additionally absorb the vertical load, thereby transferring a small portion of the central load from the top pipette tip carrier to the first partition, and ultimately from the first partition to the next pipette tip carrier.

[0150] Details of load transfer elements such as Figure 14 As shown. Starting from the bottom of the figure: the spacer below the pipette tip carrier provides a protrusion 44 that passes through the corner opening 14 of the pipette tip carrier 1, and the top surface 46 of the protrusion 44 abuts against the stop surface 45 of the spacer positioned above the pipette tip carrier 1. There is a gap 57 between the two spacers (see Figure 15 ), which can be used for pipette tip carriers to prevent load transfer to the carriers. The vertical height of the peripheral wall 36 is defined by the distance 48 between the upper edge 40 and the lower edge 42, while the height of the load transfer element 43 is defined by the vertical distance 49 between the end of the protrusion 46 and the stop surface 45. The vertical distance 49 exceeds the height 48 of the peripheral wall 36, thereby leaving a gap below the lower edge 42 of each partition that can be used for a pipette tip carrier. Each pipette tip carrier can be placed on the upper edge 40 of the first partition 34, and a second partition can be placed on top of the first partition, and the lower edge 42 of the second partition will not contact the rectangular guard 5 surrounding the pipette tip carrier.

[0151] Figure 15 More details of the protrusion 51 of the spacer engaging the top surface of the lower adjacent spacer are shown. The protrusion 51 extending downward from the longitudinal side of the lower surface 41 of the upper adjacent spacer 34 abuts the upper surface 39 of the lower adjacent spacer 34 via the opening 11 in the pipette tip carrier 1. The abutment of the protrusion 51 extending downward from the lateral side provides a similar cross-sectional view, the only difference being that the opening 11 is replaced by a cutout 55.

[0152] In this way, the vertical load applied to the pipette tip carrier can be transferred between the spacers and the carrier stack via the load transfer elements 43 at each corner and / or via the protrusions 51 on the longitudinal sides of the spacers and / or the protrusions 51 on the transverse sides of the spacers to achieve direct spacer-to-spacer load transfer. Optionally, a portion of the vertical load is transferred via the central protrusion 52 to achieve spacer-to-carrier loading.

[0153] The spacer 34 includes a spring element 54 at each corner, such as Figure 10 、 Figure 15 and Figure 16As shown. When a spacer 34 is placed on another spacer carrying a pipette tip carrier, the placement may be accompanied by an offset of one spacer relative to the other in the horizontal plane. Spring elements 54 located at each corner are used to compensate for or eliminate the clearance in the horizontal plane. The spring elements 54 protrude from the bottom surface of the horizontal base 35 at the lower edge 42 and can bend toward the center or corner of the peripheral wall 36 along the diagonal of the rectangular spacer. The spring elements 54 of the spacer can have a semicircular shape to at least partially surround the protrusion 44 protruding upward from the lower adjacent spacer. When engaged with the protrusion 44 of the lower adjacent spacer, the spring elements of the top spacer on each corner can bend and thereby center the spacer relative to the lower adjacent spacer and compensate for horizontal misalignment or provide an obstacle to prevent the stacking of the spacers from being twisted. When the top of the stack is twisted relative to the bottom of the stack, the twisting obstacle provides a resilient realignment force. Reliable picking up of the pipette from the carrier depends on the accuracy of the movement of the pipetting robot and on the dimensional tolerances for the stacking of the spacers and the pipette tip carrier. Therefore, a self-centering spring element can reduce the accumulation of tolerances caused by the placement and handling of the spacers and the carrier. The flexibility or elasticity of the spring element can be adjusted by the material used for the spring element 54 and / or the wall thickness of the spring element and / or the use of support ribs 56 that protrude towards the end of the spring element along the rear surface of the spring element 54. The spring element 54 can surround a stop surface 45 at each corner, thereby acting as a guide element to guide the column 44 of the lower adjacent spacer towards the stop surface of the upper spacer during placement of the spacer, see Figure 16 .

[0154] Figure 15 Also shown is a gap 57 between the two spacers 34, which gap can be used for a pipette tip carrier 1 placed between the two spacers. The height of the gap 57 is determined by Figure 14 The length 49 of the transfer element is shown as being defined by the difference between the vertical distance 48 between the upper and lower edges of the spacer. Figure 14 Also shown is a spring element 54 that engages with the protrusion 44 of the lower adjacent spacer in the longitudinal section. The spring element 54 for guiding and aligning the spacer plays a role in the process of stacking the spacers and the pipette tip carriers on each other, which is an operation step in the laboratory automation process before the liquid handling process is started by picking up and applying the vertical load to the stack. Therefore, the above-mentioned spacer in combination with the tray allows for proper alignment during the stacking process and efficient transfer of vertical loads during the liquid handling process, and this is combined with the spacer and pipette tip carrier requiring less material during the manufacturing process and having a lower carbon footprint.

[0155] The fact that certain elements or steps are recited in different sections should not exclude the existence of further meaningful combinations of these elements or steps.

Claims

1. A frame-shaped, generally rectangular spacer (34) for a rectangular pipette tip carrier (1), said spacer being configured to be stacked on top of another spacer to provide vertical spacing (58) between said spacers for said pipette tip carrier, wherein said spacer (34) comprises: - a horizontal base surface (35), - a peripheral side wall (36) standing substantially perpendicular to said base surface (35), providing two longitudinal sides (37) and two transverse sides (38), wherein each longitudinal side and transverse side comprises an inner side connected to said base surface, - the peripheral side wall (36) comprises an upper surface (39) arranged on an upper edge (40) of the peripheral side wall (36) and a lower surface (41) arranged on a lower edge (42) of the peripheral side wall, wherein the upper and lower surfaces (39, 41) extend substantially horizontally, and the upper surface of the peripheral side wall is configured to support the pipette tip carrier (1), Characterized in that the spacers include load transfer elements (43) configured to transfer vertical loads from one spacer directly to a lower adjacent spacer.

2. A spacer according to claim 1, wherein the load transfer element (43) on each spacer (34) includes a protrusion (44) extending vertically from the upper surface (39) at each corner of the spacer and a stop surface (45) recessed from the lower surface at each corner of the spacer.

3. The spacer of claim 2, wherein the protrusion (44) and the stop surface (45) at each corner of each spacer are vertically aligned with respect to each other.

4. A spacer according to claim 3, wherein the stop surface (45) of the spacer is configured to abut against the end of the protrusion of the lower adjacent spacer, and wherein the end (46) of the protrusion (44) of the spacer is configured to abut against the stop surface (45) of the upper adjacent spacer.

5. The spacer according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the stop surface (45) protrudes vertically from the horizontal base surface (35).

6. A spacer according to claim 5, wherein the stop surface (45) is located at the end of a rib (47) which projects diagonally inwardly from each corner.

7. A spacer according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the vertical distance (48) between the upper edge (40) and the lower edge (42) of the peripheral side wall (36) is less than the height (49) of the load transfer element (43), the height (49) being defined by the vertical distance between the end (46) of the protrusion (44) extending vertically from the upper surface (39) and the stop surface (45) at each corner.

8. The spacer according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the upper edge (40) of the peripheral side wall (36) comprises a protrusion (50) for holding and supporting the pipette tip carrier.

9. A partition according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the load transfer element (43) on each partition further comprises a protrusion (51) extending vertically from the lower edge (42) of the peripheral side wall (36), the protrusion (51) being configured to pass through a complementary opening (11) in the pipette tip carrier, the end of the protrusion being configured to abut against the upper surface (39) of the peripheral side wall of the adjacent partition (34).

10. A partition according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the horizontal base surface includes a protrusion (52) located at the center of the rectangular partition, the protrusion (52) protruding vertically toward the upper edge (40) of the peripheral side wall (36) and protruding vertically toward the lower edge (42) of the peripheral side wall, and the top surface of the protrusion (52) is configured to abut against a pipette tip carrier positioned above the partition, and the bottom surface of the protrusion is configured to abut against a pipette tip carrier positioned below the partition.

11. A spacer according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the horizontal base surface includes a plurality of openings (53) oriented according to a pattern complementary to a pattern of pipette receptacles for holding pipette tips in the pipette tip carrier.

12. The spacer according to any one of claims 2 to 4 further includes a centering spring element (54) at each corner, and wherein the centering spring element (54) is configured to act on the protrusion on each corner of the lower adjacent spacer, and the spacer is positioned on the lower adjacent spacer with horizontal and / or vertical clearance, thereby serving as a centering aid or twisting obstacle in the stacking of the spacer and the lower adjacent spacer.

13. The spacer of claim 12, wherein the centering spring element (54) at each corner at least partially surrounds the stop surface.

14. The spacer of claim 12, wherein the spring element is configured to at least partially surround the protrusion (44) on each corner of an underlying spacer.

15. The spacer according to claim 12, wherein the spring element extends vertically, wherein one end of the spring element is attached or attachable to the bottom of the horizontal base surface (35) and the other end is configured to flex along a diagonal of the rectangular spacer.

16. A spacer according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the spring element (54) is in the shape of a half shell, and when the spacer is positioned above the lower adjacent spacer, the radius of the spring element (54) is suitable for engaging the outer radius of the columnar protrusion of the lower adjacent spacer, thereby causing the spring element to deform elastically.

17. An assembly comprising a stack of at least two spacers (34) according to any one of claims 2 to 16 and a rectangular pipette tip carrier positioned between the two spacers, wherein the pipette tip carrier comprises a plate comprising: - a lower surface for engaging the upper surface (39) of the lower adjacent spacer, - a plurality of pipette receptacles (8) for holding pipette tips (2), - a corner opening (14) at each corner of the plate, the corner opening (14) being mounted on the protrusion (44) of the lower adjacent partition, - an opening (11) providing a passage for the protrusion (51) extending vertically from the lower edge (42) of the peripheral side wall (36) of the upper adjacent partition, the end of the protrusion (51) extending vertically from the lower edge being configured to abut against the upper edge (40) of the peripheral side wall (36) of the lower adjacent partition.

18. Use of at least one spacer according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein a stack of pipette tip carriers provided with pipette tips is produced, said pipette tip carriers being separated by the spacers.

Images