Charging stand for electrical pipettes and a charging stand kit

Abstract

The charging stand (1) for electrical pipettes (10) comprises a base (6), at least one leg (3, 4) extending upwards from the base (6), a charging position (25, 25') arranged at the upper end of the charging stand (1) and configured to receive an electrical pipette (10) and comprising means (11) for supplying charging current to said electrical pipette (10), and a temporary storage position (26, 26') configured to receive said electrical pipette (10) such that in the temporary storage position (26, 26') the pipette (10) is in a higher vertical position than in the charging position (25, 25'). The charging stand (1 ) is configured such that in the charging position (25, 25') the electrical pipette (10) is supported from a first height of the pipette (10) and in the temporary storage position the electrical pipette (10) is supported from a second height of the pipette (10), the second height being below the first height.

Description

[0001] Charging stand for electrical pipettes and a charging stand kit

[0002] Technical field of the invention

[0003] The present invention concerns a charging stand for one or more electrical pipettes, as defined in claim 1 . The invention also concerns a charging stand kit for assembling such a charging stand. of the invention

[0004] Electrical pipettes are typically charged in charging stands. A typical charging stand is provided with a charging slot comprising electrical contacts for a pipette. When a pipette is placed into the charging slot, electrical contacts of the pipette contact the electrical contacts of the charging slot and the pipette is charged. Pipettes are often stored in charging stands during non-working hours to allow them to be fully charged as a new working shift begins. Pipette stands are also needed during the work day to allow the users of the pipettes to free their hands for performing tasks related to the pipetting. Charging stands are often used also for holding the pipettes during the work day between pipetting operations.

[0005] For various reasons, the users often prefer low pipette stands. Because of the preference for low pipette stands, the charging stands cannot typically receive pipettes with pipette tips attached. Charging stands are thus usually adapted to receive the pipettes without pipette tips. This a problem if the charging stands are used for holding the pipettes between pipetting operations, as users of electrical pipettes may have a need to free their hands even when the pipette has a pipette tip attached.

[0006] Summary of the invention

[0007] An object of the invention is to provide an improved charging stand for one or more electrical pipettes. Another object of the invention is to provide a charging stand kit for assembling such a charging stand.

[0008] The charging stand according to the invention comprises a base, at least one leg that is configured to extend in a use position of the charging stand upwards from the base, a charging position arranged at the upper end of the charging stand, the charging position being configured to receive an electrical pipette and comprising means for supplying charging current to said electrical pipette, and a temporary storage position configured to receive said electrical pipette such that in the temporary storage position the pipette is in a higher vertical position than in the charging position. The charging stand is configured such that in the charging position said electrical pipette is supported from a first height of the pipette and in the temporary storage position said electrical pipette is supported from a second height of the pipette, the second height being below the first height.

[0009] The same electrical pipette can thus be placed in two alternative positions. The temporary storage position can be a non-charging position. As the charging stand is configured to hold pipettes in a position that is higher than the charging position, the pipettes can be stored in the charging stand even with pipette tips attached. This is advantageous when the users of the charging stand have a need to free their hands between pipetting operations. Electrical pipettes can be typically equipped with different pipette tips. The height of the temporary storage position is preferably selected such that the electrical pipette can be held in the temporary storage position with at least one type of pipette tip attached. As the charging stand supports the pipette in the temporary storage position from a lower height than in the charging position, the charging stand can be low. This is advantageous, as the users often prefer low pipette stands for various reasons. For instance, a low pipette stand can be more easily placed underneath a shelf.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the invention, the second height is at least 30 mm below the first height. This allows raising the electrical pipette from the charging position at least by 30 mm without increasing the height of the charging stand. The second height could be even more, for instance at least 45 mm below the first height. The difference between the vertical positions of the electrical pipette in the charging position and in the temporary storage position may be greater than the difference between the first height and the second height, if the surface supporting the electrical pipette in the temporary storage position is at a higher position than the surface supporting the electrical pipette in the charging position.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand is configured such that in the temporary storage position the electrical pipette is held in a position that is at least 30 mm higher than the position of the pipette in the charging position. This provides sufficient space below the pipette to hold the pipette in the temporary storage position at least with shorter pipette tips attached. If more space is needed, the charging stand can be configured to hold the pipette in the temporary storage position higher, for instance in a position that is at least 40 or 55 mm higher than the position of the pipette in the charging position.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand is configured such that in the temporary storage position the electrical pipette is held such that the pipette faces the same direction as in the charging position. This facilitates the use of the temporary storage position, as the user does not need to rotate the pipette when placing it into the temporary storage position.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand is configured such that in the temporary storage position the electrical pipette is held in a width direction of the charging stand in the same position as in the charging position. The charging stand does thus not require more space in the width direction than a charging stand without a temporary storage position.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand is configured such that in the temporary storage position the electrical pipette is held in a substantially upright position. This is beneficial in particular in case pipette tips with filters are used. It the pipette is tilted, there is a risk that the filter gets wet if the amount of liquid in the pipette tip is close to the maximum volume of the pipette tip. Also, the display of the electrical pipette is kept at an optimal viewing angle and the electrical pipette is easy to put into the temporary storage position and to take from there.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand is configured such that in the temporary storage position the electrical pipette is supported from a finger hook of the electrical pipette. Supporting from a finger hook allows using the same charging stand for different pipettes.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand comprises a finger hook slot for receiving the finger hook of the electrical pipette held in the temporary storage position.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand is configured such that in the temporary storage position the electrical pipette is supported from the body of the pipette. According to an embodiment of the invention, the temporary storage position is formed by a slot that is configured to be engaged with the body of the electrical pipette. If the pipette is supported from the body of the pipette below the finger hook, the pipette is held in the temporary storage position even higher than when supported from the finger hook.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand is configured such that in the charging position the electrical pipette is supported from charging pins of the electrical pipette. In case the pipette is provided with charging pins, support from the charging pins ensures reliable contact between the charging pins and the corresponding electrical contacts of the charging stand.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand is configured such that in the charging position the electrical pipette is supported from the body of the electrical pipette. According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging position is formed by a slot that is configured to be engaged with the body of the electrical pipette. This alternative is suitable in particular for electrical pipettes configured for inductive charging.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand comprises at least two charging positions Two or more electrical pipettes can thus be charged simultaneously.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the invention, said at least two charging positions are arranged at the same height with each other The charging stand can thus accommodate two or more pipettes in charging positions without increasing the height of the charging stand.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand comprises at least two temporary storage positions. Two or more electrical pipettes can thus be stored in temporary storage positions simultaneously.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the invention, said at least two temporary storage positions are arranged at the same height with each other. The charging stand can thus accommodate two or more pipettes in temporary storage positions without increasing the height of the charging stand.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the invention, the charging stand comprises one or more charging modules releasably attached to said at least one leg, and each charging module comprises one charging position and one temporary storage position. The charging modules allow the charging stand to be easily adapted to different user needs.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the invention, the height of said at least one leg is adjustable. This allows adapting the charging stand for different uses.

[0026] The charging stand kit comprises parts for assembling a charging stand defined above.

[0027] Brief description of the drawings

[0028] Embodiments of the invention are described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0029] Fig. 1 shows a charging stand according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0030] Fig. 2 shows part of an electrical pipette for which the charging stands of the figures are configured,

[0031] Fig. 3 shows a different configuration of a charging stand,

[0032] Fig. 4 shows a partial view of the charging stand of figure 3,

[0033] Fig. 5 shows another partial view of the charging stand of figure 3,

[0034] Fig. 6 shows the charging stand of figure 3 with two pipettes in charging positions,

[0035] Fig. 7 shows the charging stand of figure 3 with two pipettes in temporary storage positions,

[0036] Fig. 8 shows the charging stand of figure 3 with one pipette in a charging position and another pipette in a temporary storage position,

[0037] Fig. 9 shows a charging stand with an alternative implementation of the temporary storage position,

[0038] Fig. 10 shows a charging stand with an alternative implementation of the charging and temporary storage positions, Fig. 11 shows the charging stand of figure 9 with pipettes in charging and temporary storage positions,

[0039] Fig. 12 shows the charging stand of figure 11 from another direction,

[0040] Fig. 13 shows the charging stand of figure 10 with pipettes in charging and temporary storage positions, and

[0041] Fig. 14 shows the charging stand of figure 13 from another direction.

[0042] Detailed description of embodiments of the invention

[0043] Figure 1 shows a charging stand 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. Charging stands 1 according to other embodiments of the invention and details of the parts of the charging stands 1 are shown in other figures.

[0044] The charging stand 1 according to the invention is configured for one or more electrical pipettes 10. Figure 2 shows part of an electrical pipette 10 that can be placed into the charging stands 1 of the embodiments of the figures. Figures 6-8 and 11-14 show electrical pipettes 10 in charging stands 1 according to different embodiments of the invention.

[0045] The expression “electrical pipette” refers here to a pipette comprising a chargeable battery and electrical components powered by the battery. In the examples of the figures, the electrical pipette 10 is provided with a motor that is configured to operate a piston for aspirating and dispensing liquid. However, the electrical pipette 10 could also have a manually operable piston for aspirating and dispensing liquid, and the battery could power only a display 28 and / or other electrical components of the electrical pipette 10. The electrical pipette 10 could also be a repeater pipette (stepper pipette) using syringe tips, where a piston is arranged within the tip and attachable to moving parts inside the pipette.

[0046] The charging stand 1 according to the invention comprises a base 6, at least one leg 3, 4 that is configured to extend in a use position of the charging stand 1 upwards from the base 6, and a charging position 25, 25’ arranged at the upper end of the charging stand 1 . The charging position 25, 25’ is configured to receive an electrical pipette 10 and comprises means 11 for supplying charging current to the electrical pipette 10. The charging stand 1 further comprises a temporary storage position 26, 26’ configured to receive the electrical pipette 10 such that in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ the pipette 10 is in a higher vertical position than in the charging position 25, 25’. The charging stand 1 is configured such that in the charging position 25, 25’ the electrical pipette 10 is supported from a first height of the pipette 10 and in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ the electrical pipette 10 is supported from a second height of the pipette 10, the second height being below the first height. The same electrical pipette 10 can thus be selectively placed into the charging position 25, 25’ or into the temporary storage position 26, 26’.

[0047] The second height can be, for instance, at least 30 mm below the first height. If the second height is 30 mm below the first height, the electrical pipette 10 can be in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ positioned at least 30 mm higher than in the charging position 25, 25’ without increasing the height of the charging stand 1 . The difference between the vertical positions of the electrical pipette 10 in the charging position 25, 25’ and in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ may be greater than the difference between the first height and the second height, if the surface supporting the electrical pipette 10 in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ is at a higher position than the surface supporting the electrical pipette 10 in the charging position 25, 25’. The second height could be even more, for instance at least 45 mm below the first height.

[0048] In the charging position 25, 25’ the electrical pipette 10 can be charged. The temporary storage position 26, 26’ is intended mainly for short-time storing of the electrical pipette 10 prior to, between and after pipetting operations. The temporary storage position 26, 26’ can be a non-charging position. The temporary storage position 26, 26’ is thus not provided with means for supplying charging current to the electrical pipette 10. As the temporary storage position 26, 26’ is configured to hold the electrical pipette 10 in a higher vertical position than the charging position 25, 25’, more space is provided between the electrical pipette 10 and the laboratory desk or other surface onto which the charging stand 1 is arranged. This allows placing the electrical pipette 10 into the temporary storage position 26, 26’ with a pipette tip attached. Figures 7, 8 and 11-14 show pipettes 10 with pipette tips 12 attached.

[0049] Electrical pipettes 10 can typically be used with different pipette tips 12, which may have different lengths. The charging stand 1 is preferably configured such that the electrical pipette 10 can be placed into the temporary storage position 26, 26’ with at least the most common types of pipette tips 12 attached. As the electrical pipette 10 is supported in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ from a lower height than in the charging position 25, 25’, the support surfaces supporting the electrical pipette 10 in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ do not need to be at a much higher position than the support surfaces supporting the electrical pipette 10 in the charging position 25, 25’. The support surfaces can be even at the same height, or the support surfaces of the temporary storage position 26, 26’ could be even at a lower height than the support surfaces of the charging position 25, 25’. In spite of the temporary storage position 26, 26’, the height of the charging stand 1 can thus be kept low.

[0050] A typical pipette product family comprises pipettes with different volume ranges. Typically, a pipette family utilizes the same pipette handle. An example of a pipette handle is shown in figure 2. Often different lower modules, which can be attached to the pipette handle, are provided for pipettes with different volume ranges. The lower modules may also differ in the number of channels. Therefore, the size and length of pipettes within a pipette family can vary. Pipettes of different volume ranges usually use disposable tips adapted for their own volume range. Pipette tips 12 with different maximum volumes typically have different lengths. The charging stand 1 according to the invention may be configured to hold different electrical pipettes of a pipette family.

[0051] The length of the pipette tips used in the electrical pipette 10 can vary over a relatively broad range, for instance from approximately 40 mm to over 100 mm, or even to 150 mm. As the pipettes 10 of a pipette family may have different lower modules, the variation in the total length of the pipettes 10 of a pipette family with pipette tips attached may be even greater than the above-mentioned variation in the lengths of the pipette tips. It may not be practical to design the charging stand 1 to allow holding electrical pipettes 10 with all possible pipette tip types, or for holding all the pipette models of a pipette family. It may be sufficient that the electrical pipette 10 can be held in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ with some of the pipette tips 12 attached. The pipette tips can include also syringe tips provided with a piston. The temporary storage position 26, 26’ could be configured such that in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ the electrical pipette 10 is held in a position that is at least 30 mm higher than the position of the pipette 10 in the charging position 25, 25’. If even longer pipette tips are commonly used, the height difference between the temporary storage position 26, 26’ and the charging position 25, 25’ could be, for instance, at least 45 or 60 mm.

[0052] In the embodiments of the figures, the charging stand 1 comprises a first leg 3 and a second leg 4. In the embodiments of the figures, the charging stand 1 has a modular structure. In the embodiment of figure 1 , the charging stand 1 comprises a base module 5, which connects the two legs 3, 4 together. The base module 5 is attached to the lower ends of the first and second legs 3, 4. The base 6 of the charging stand 1 is formed by the base module 5 and lower parts of the first and second legs 3, 4. The charging position 25 and the temporary storage position 26 are arranged into a charging module 2. The charging module 2 is arranged between the upper ends of the first leg 3 and the second leg 4. The modular structure of the charging stand 1 allows placing more charging modules 2 between the first leg 3 and the second leg 4 to provide two or more charging positions 25, 25’ and temporary storage positions 26, 26’.

[0053] In the embodiments of the figures, the charging stand 1 is configured such that in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ the electrical pipette 10 is held such that the pipette 10 faces the same direction as in the charging position 25, 25’. The electrical pipette 10 is thus placed into both positions in a similar way, which facilitates the use of the charging stand 1 , as the user does not need to rotate the electrical pipette 10 from a normal use position when placing the pipette 10 into the temporary storage position 26, 26’.

[0054] The charging stand 1 is configured such that in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ the electrical pipette 10 is held in a width direction of the charging stand 1 in the same position as in the charging position 25, 25’. The temporary storage position 26, 26’ does thus not increase the width of the charging stand 1 .

[0055] In the embodiments of the figures, the charging stand 1 is configured such that in the temporary storage position 26, 26’ the electrical pipette 10 is held in a substantially upright position. This is beneficial in particular when a pipette tip with a filter is used. If the pipette tip is filled close to its maximum volume, the surface of the liquid in the pipette tip can be very close to the filter. If the pipette 10 is tilted, the filter may get wet. A tilted pipette 10 can also make the display 28 of the pipette 10 less visible, and it may be more difficult to put the pipette 10 into the charging stand 1 and to take the pipette 10 from the charging stand 1. Also, with a significant inclination of the pipette 10, the charging stand 1 needs more space on the desk in the depth direction of the charging stand 1 .

[0056] In the embodiments of figures 1 , 3-9, 11 and 12, the electrical pipette 10 is supported in the charging position 25 from charging pins 27 of the electrical pipette 10. One charging pin 27 is arranged on each side of the electrical pipette 10 close to the display 28 of the electrical pipette 10. The display 28 of an electrical pipette 10 is typically arranged in an upper part of the pipette 10, where it is visible to the user of the pipette 10 during pipetting. The circuit board of the electrical pipette 10 is typically arranged behind the display 28. It is convenient to arrange electrical contacts for charging of the electrical pipette 10 close to the circuit board, and therefore the charging pins 27 are often arranged in the upper part of the electrical pipette 10. When the electrical pipette 10 is supported from the charging pins 27, it hangs in the charging stand 1 in a low position. The lower end of the electrical pipette 10 is thus close to the desk.

[0057] The charging stands 1 shown in figures 1 and 3-8 are configured for an electrical pipette 10 that is provided with a finger hook 7. The finger hook 7 is configured to be supported against a finger of the user of the electrical pipette 10 during pipetting. In the example of the figures, the finger hook 7 is arranged on the rear side of the electrical pipette 10. The finger hook 7 can be rotated about a vertical axis of the electrical pipette 10 to adjust the position of the finger hook 7 for both right- and left-handed users. In the example of the figures, the finger hook 7 is rotatable over a limited angular range. However, the finger hook 7 could also be freely rotatable about the vertical axis of the electrical pipette 1 , or the angular position of the finger hook 7 could be fixed.

[0058] In the embodiments of figures 1 and 3-8, the charging stand 1 is configured such that in the temporary storage position 26 the electrical pipette 10 is supported from the finger hook 7 of the electrical pipette 10. The electrical pipette 10 is supported from the finger hook 7 in the vertical direction. In the embodiments of figures 1 and 3-8, the electrical pipette 10 is additionally supported from a rear surface of the body 29 of the electrical pipette 10 in a horizontal direction. The area of the rear surface of the body 29, which supports the electrical pipette 10 in the horizontal direction, is located below the finger hook 7. The support in the horizontal direction keeps the electrical pipette 10 in the desired direction. In the embodiments of the figures, the electrical pipette 10 is kept in a substantially upright position. The charging stand 1 of the embodiments of figures 1 and 3-8 is provided with a finger hook slot 32 that is configured to receive the finger hook 7 when the electrical pipette 10 is in the temporary storage position 26. In the embodiment of figures 1 and 3-8, an upper surface of the charging module 2 functions as a support surface for the finger hook 7. As the upper surface of the charging module 2 is positioned higher than the surfaces supporting the electrical pipette 10 in the charging position 25, a pipette 10 placed into the temporary storage position 26 is raised from the charging position 25 more than the vertical distance between the charging pins 27 and the lower surface of the finger hook 7. In the examples of the figures, the vertical distance between the charging pins 27 and the lower surface of the finger hook 7 is approximately 48 mm. The upper surface of the charging module 2 is located approximately 10 mm above the surfaces configured to support the charging pins 27. The vertical position of the electrical pipette 10 in the temporary storage position 26 is thus approximately 58 mm higher than in the charging position 25.

[0059] The lower surface of the finger hook 7 is located lower than the charging pins 27 of the electrical pipette 10. In the temporary storage position 26, the electrical pipette 10 is thus supported from a height that is below the height from which the electrical pipette 10 is supported in the charging position 25.

[0060] In the embodiments of figures 9-14, the temporary storage position 26’ is configured differently than in the embodiment of figures 1 and 3-8. In the embodiments of figured 9-14, the electrical pipette 10 is supported in the temporary storage position 26’ from the body 29 of the pipette 10. The temporary storage position 26’ is formed by a slot 30 that is configured to be engaged with the body 29 of the electrical pipette 10. In the example of the figures, the electrical pipette 10 is provided with a finger hook 7, but the finger hook 7 is not used for supporting the electrical pipette 10 in the temporary storage position 26’ in the embodiments of figures 9-14. The electrical pipette 10 is supported from an area that is located below the finger hook 7. The embodiments of figures 9-14 could also be used for holding pipettes not comprising a finger hook.

[0061] In the embodiment of figures 10, 13 and 14, the charging position 25’ is configured differently from the embodiments of the other figures. In the embodiment of figures 10, 13 and 14, the electrical pipette 10 is supported from the body 29 of the pipette 10 also in the charging position 25’. The charging position 25’ is formed by a slot 31 that is configured to be engaged with the body of the electrical pipette 10.

[0062] In the embodiment of figures 10, 13, 14, both the charging position 25’ and the temporary storage position 26’ are formed by slots 30, 31 that are adapted to the shape of the body 29 of the electrical pipette 10. The body 29 of the electrical pipette 10 tapers downwards. The slot 30 of the temporary storage position 26’ has a smaller diameter than the slot 31 of the charging position 25’. In the temporary storage position 26’, the electrical pipette 10 is thus gripped from a lower height than in the charging position 25’. The electrical pipette 10 is thus held in the temporary storage position 26’ higher than in the charging position 25’.

[0063] The embodiment of figures 10, 13, 14 is suitable for electrical pipettes 10 that are provided with electrical contacts in the body 29 or that are adapted for inductive charging. The charging position 25’ could thus be adapted for inductive charging of electrical pipettes 10, in which case it is not necessary to provide the charging position 25’ with electrical contacts.

[0064] In the embodiment of figure 1 , the charging stand 1 is configured for one electrical pipette 10. The charging stands 1 of other embodiments of the figures are configured for two electrical pipettes 10. The charging stands 1 are provided with two charging positions 25, 25’ and with two temporary storage positions 26, 26’. Two electrical pipettes 10 can be held simultaneously either in the charging positions 25, 25’ or in the temporary storage positions 26, 26’, or one of the electrical pipettes 10 can be in a charging position 25, 25’ and one of the electrical pipettes 10 can be in a temporary storage position 26, 26’.

[0065] The charging stand 1 could be configured for more than two electrical pipettes 10, for instance for three or four electrical pipettes 10. In the embodiments of the figures, the number of charging modules 2 could be increased to accommodate more electrical pipettes 10.

[0066] In the embodiments of figures 3-14, the charging positions 25, 25’ are arranged at the same height with each other and the temporary storage positions 26, 26’ are arranged at the same height with each other.

[0067] The charging stand 1 could be provided with legs 3, 4 having adjustable height. That would allow adapting the charging stand 1 for different uses. For instance, if the users of the charging stand 1 regularly use long pipette tips, the legs 3, 4 could be made higher to allow using the temporary storage position 26, 26’ to store electrical pipettes 10 even with longer pipette tips attached.

[0068] Although the charging stand 1 according to the invention allows holding the same electrical pipette 10 both in the charging position 25, 25’ and in the temporary storage position 26, 26’, the charging stand 1 can be configured to receive different electrical pipettes 10. The charging position 25, 25’ and / or the temporary storage position 26, 26’ can be configured such that the same charging position 25, 25’ and / or temporary storage position 26, 26’ can receive different pipettes, or the charging stand 1 can be provided with different charging positions 25, 25’ and / or temporary storage positions 26, 26’.

[0069] Also many other configurations than the configurations shown in the figures are possible. For instance, the charging stand 1 could have a carousel shape, where the charging positions 25, 25’ and temporary storage positions 26, 26’ are arranged around a leg of the charging stand 1 . The charging stand 1 could also have, for instance, a curved shape. Many different combinations of the charging positions and temporary storage positions are possible. The number of charging positions and temporary storage positions do not need to be the same. For instance, the charging stand 1 could have a single temporary storage position and two, three or more charging positions. Alternatively, the charging stand 1 could have a single charging position and two, three or more temporary storage positions. The charging stand 1 could also comprise different charging positions and / or temporary storage positions for different electrical pipettes.

Claims

Claims:1 . A charging stand (1 ) for one or more electrical pipettes (10), the charging stand (1 ) comprising- a base (6),- at least one leg (3, 4) that is configured to extend in a use position of the charging stand (1 ) upwards from the base (6),- a charging position (25, 25’) arranged at the upper end of the charging stand (1 ), the charging position (25, 25’) being configured to receive an electrical pipette (10) and comprising means (11 ) for supplying charging current to said electrical pipette (10), and- a temporary storage position (26, 26’) configured to receive said electrical pipette (10) such that in the temporary storage position (26, 26’) the pipette (10) is in a higher vertical position than in the charging position (25, 25’), wherein the charging stand (1 ) is configured such that in the charging position (25, 25’) said electrical pipette (10) is supported from a first height of the pipette (10) and in the temporary storage position (26, 26’) said electrical pipette (10) is supported from a second height of the pipette (10), the second height being below the first height.

2. A charging stand (1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the second height is at least 30 mm below the first height.

3. A charging stand (1 ) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the charging stand (1 ) is configured such that in the temporary storage position (26, 26’) the electrical pipette (10) is held in a position that is at least 30 mm higher than the position of the pipette (10) in the charging position (25, 25’).

4. A charging stand (1 ) according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the charging stand (1 ) is configured such that in the temporary storage position (26, 26’) the electrical pipette (10) is held such that the pipette (10) faces the same direction as in the charging position (25, 25’).

5. A charging stand (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the charging stand (1 ) is configured such that in the temporary storage position (26, 26’) the electrical pipette (10) is held in a width direction ofthe charging stand (1 ) in the same position as in the charging position (25, 25’).

6. A charging stand (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the charging stand (1 ) is configured such that in the temporary storage position (26, 26’) the electrical pipette (10) is held in a substantially upright position.

7. A charging stand (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the charging stand (1 ) is configured such that in the temporary storage position (26) the electrical pipette (10) is supported from a finger hook (7) of the electrical pipette (10).

8. A charging stand (1 ) according to claim 7, wherein the charging stand (1 ) comprises a finger hook slot (32) for receiving the finger hook (7) of the electrical pipette (10) held in the temporary storage position (26).

9. A charging stand (1 ) according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the charging stand (1 ) is configured such that in the temporary storage position (26’) the electrical pipette (10) is supported from the body (29) of the pipette (10).

10. A charging stand (1 ) according to claim 9, wherein the temporary storage position (26’) is formed by a slot (30) that is configured to be engaged with the body (29) of the electrical pipette (10).

11. A charging stand (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the charging stand (1 ) is configured such that in the charging position (25) the electrical pipette (10) is supported from charging pins (27) of the electrical pipette (10).

12. A charging stand according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the charging stand (1 ) is configured such that in the charging position (25) the electrical pipette (10) is supported from the body (29) of the electrical pipette (10).

13. A charging stand (1 ) according to claim 12, wherein the charging position (25’) is formed by a slot (31 ) that is configured to be engaged with the body (29) of the electrical pipette (10).

14. A charging stand (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the charging stand (1 ) comprises at least two charging positions (25, 25’).

15. A charging stand (1 ) according to claim 14, wherein said at least two charging positions (25, 25’) are arranged at the same height with each other.

16. A charging stand (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the charging stand (1 ) comprises at least two temporary storage positions (26, 26’).

17. A charging stand (1 ) according to claim 16, wherein said at least two temporary storage positions (26, 26’) are arranged at the same height with each other.

18. A charging stand (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the charging stand (1 ) comprises one or more charging modules (2) re- leasably attached to said at least one leg (3, 4), and each charging module (2) comprises one charging position (25, 25’) and one temporary storage position (26, 26’).

19. A charging stand (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the height of said at least one leg (3, 4) is adjustable.

20. A charging stand kit comprising parts for assembling a charging stand (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims.

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