Diluent storage container

Abstract

To provide a diluent storage container with a double-cap structure enabling easy one-touch opening / closing of a necessary cap portion without misoperation, while preventing contamination during the process.SOLUTION: A diluent storage container 10 includes: a container body 20 capable of storing a prescribed amount of diluent; a substantially cylindrical base cap 30 to be attached to an opening end 24 of the container body; an inner lid 40 openably / closably connected to the base cap via a hinge 41; and an upper lid 50 openably / closably connected to the inner lid via a hinge 51. A flange part 47 for opening the inner lid and a flange part 55 for opening the upper lid are provided at opposing positions substantially 180 degrees apart, so that the operation to open the inner lid for injecting a specimen sample into the container body and the operation to open the outer lid for dispensing a diluted sample from the container body into a petri dish, etc. can be performed reliably and without error.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a diluent container suitable for use in microbiological tests and swabbing tests to ensure food safety. [Background technology]

[0002] As part of food safety testing, whether the equipment and tools used in products, raw materials, production personnel's hands, processes, or restaurants and kitchens are clean and hygienic is generally assessed by testing viable bacteria counts and coliform bacteria, and in some cases, tests for Staphylococcus aureus, mold, yeast, etc. are also conducted.

[0003] The tools, equipment, containers, and packaging to be tested come in a variety of different shapes, and the wash-off method is usually used to test the contamination status inside stoppered containers such as bottles and cans. However, when testing tools with flat surfaces such as cutting boards and plates, or tools with irregular shapes such as knives, the sample test liquid is prepared in accordance with the wipe test method.

[0004] The present applicant has developed a swab test kit that allows simple and reliable swab tests to be performed even in facilities that do not have laboratories (Patent Documents 1 and 2). With this swab test kit, when dispensing a sample contained in the container body together with a diluent into a culture medium such as a petri dish for quantitative testing, the sample can be discharged by simply opening the top lid while the cap is still attached, which has the advantage of making dispensing work easy, and its usefulness has been highly evaluated in the market. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-344232 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-108803 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-070820 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the swab test kits described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 employ a structure in which a cap is screwed onto the open end of a container body containing a diluent, so that when performing a swabbing operation, a series of steps are required: turn the cap in a loosening direction to remove it from the container body, wipe the area to be tested with a cotton ball attached to the tip of a cotton swab protruding from the back side of the cap, then place it back into the container body, and turn the cap in a closing direction to attach it to the container body and seal it. When removing or closing the cap, the user must support the container body with one hand while grasping and turning the cap with the other, which is not only cumbersome but also poses the risk of contamination if fingers come into contact with the edge of the opening of the container body when turning and removing the cap.

[0007] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a diluted liquid storage container with a double cap structure that allows the necessary parts of the cap to be opened and closed easily with a single touch without any operational errors, and that does not cause contamination during the process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve this problem, the present invention of claim 1 is a diluted liquid storage container comprising a container body capable of holding a predetermined amount of diluted liquid, an approximately cylindrical base cap attached to the opening end of the container body, an inner lid connected to the base cap by a first hinge so as to be able to open and close, and an upper lid connected to the inner lid by a second hinge so as to be able to open and close, wherein when the base cap is attached to the container body and the inner lid is closed to the base cap, a communication port communicating with the inside of the container body is provided through the top surface of the inner lid, and when the top lid is closed to the inner lid, a protrusion is provided protruding downward from the top surface of the upper lid to seal the communication port in the inner lid.

[0009] The present invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the diluted liquid storage container described in claim 1, a male thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end of the container body, and a female thread that screws onto the male thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the base cap, and the base cap can be attached and detached to the container body via the threaded engagement between the male thread and the female thread.

[0010] The present invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that in the diluting liquid storage container according to claim 1, the base cap, inner lid, and top lid are formed continuously via a first hinge and a second hinge.

[0011] The present invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that in the diluting liquid storage container according to claim 1, a protective wall is formed on the top surface of the inner lid so as to protrude upward and surround the communication port.

[0012] The present invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in the diluted liquid storage container described in claim 3, the first hinge and the second hinge are provided at approximately opposite points on the outer periphery of the inner lid, and a flange portion for opening the inner lid is formed at a point on the outer periphery of the inner lid that is approximately opposite the first hinge, and a flange portion for opening the upper lid is formed at a point on the outer periphery of the upper lid that is approximately opposite the second hinge. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention of claim 1, when a specimen is placed in the container body, the inner lid is opened relative to the base cap while the top lid remains closed, thereby opening the container body wide. When dispensing the liquid content (dilution liquid + sample) in the container body into a culture medium such as a petri dish for a quantitative test, or when injecting an enrichment medium or the like for a qualitative test, the top lid is removed from the inner lid while the inner lid remains closed relative to the base cap, the container is turned upside down, and the liquid content is discharged through the communication port.

[0014] The operation of opening the inner lid when placing the specimen sample into the container body, and the operation of opening the top lid for quantitative or qualitative testing, can both be easily performed with one hand by simply holding the container in one hand and pulling up the inner or top lid with the thumb of the same hand.

[0015] According to the present invention of claim 2, the base cap can be removed from the container body together with the inner lid and top lid, so that when injecting diluted liquid into the container body, the opening of the container body can be opened wide to easily perform the injection operation.

[0016] According to the present invention as set forth in claim 3, even when the inner lid and / or the top lid are opened, they remain connected to the base cap, thereby preventing them from being lost.

[0017] According to the present invention as set forth in claim 4, when the top cover is opened with the thumb or the like for quantitative or qualitative testing, it is possible to prevent the finger from accidentally coming into contact with the communication port and causing contamination.

[0018] According to the present invention of claim 5, when trying to open the inner lid by hooking a finger on the flange for opening the inner lid, the finger may get caught on the flange for opening the top lid, which can result in the erroneous operation of opening the top lid or the top lid opening together with the inner lid.Furthermore, when trying to open the top lid by hooking a finger on the flange for opening the top lid, the finger may get caught on the flange for opening the middle lid, which can result in the erroneous operation of opening the inner lid or the middle lid opening together with the top lid. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1A is a front view of the diluent storage container according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing the sealed state thereof, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the diluent storage container according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing the sealed state thereof with the inner lid and the top lid opened. Since FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the diluent storage container in an overview, details are omitted or simplified. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the cap portion of the diluent container, showing the state in which the inner lid is opened while the top lid is kept closed, from the sealed state of FIG. 1(a). [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the cap portion of the diluent container, showing the state in which only the top lid is opened while the inner lid is kept closed, from the sealed state of FIG. 1(a). [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the cap portion of the diluent container, showing the state in which the inner lid is slightly opened and the top lid is widely opened from the sealed state of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of use of this dilution liquid storage container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] 1 to 4, a diluent storage container 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a container body 20 integrally molded from a compressible, soft material such as low-density polyethylene (LDPE), a substantially cylindrical base cap 30 attached to the open end of the container body 20, an inner lid 40 openably connected to the base cap 30 via a hinge 41, and a top lid 50 openably connected to the inner lid 40 via a hinge 51. Since the inner lid 40 is connected to the base cap 30 via the hinge 41 and the top lid 50 is connected to the inner lid 40 via the hinge 51, the base cap 30, the inner lid 40, and the top lid 50 are continuously and integrally formed. As an example, these are integrally molded from polypropylene.

[0021] The container body 20 is previously filled with a predetermined amount of diluent 21. In this embodiment, 9 ml of diluent 21 is filled in the container body 20. As the diluent 21, for example, 0.1% peptone-added saline, buffered peptone water, phosphate buffered saline, or the like can be used.

[0022] The container body 20 has a generally cylindrical shape, but is tapered from the middle to the top. The tapered portion 22 in this embodiment is shown as having a pair of opposing parallel side surfaces.

[0023] A scale 23 is marked on the side of the reduced diameter portion 22. As will be described later, the scale 23 is intended to allow visual confirmation of the amount dispensed when the container 10 is inverted to dispense the liquid contents into a designated test container, such as a petri dish containing a culture medium, and is therefore marked so that the container is in the normal orientation when inverted. The container body 20 is pre-filled with 9 ml of diluent 21, so that adding 1 ml of specimen sample to the container body 20 results in 10 ml of diluted sample being contained in the container body 20, and when inverted, the liquid level of the diluted sample will approximately coincide with the "10" mark. As the liquid continues to drip from this state, the liquid level will decrease, and by referring to the scale 23, the amount dispensed can be easily visually confirmed.

[0024] The container body 20 has a hollow cylindrical upper end 25 that is slightly reduced in diameter and extends to an open end 24, and has a male screw (not shown) formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof.

[0025] The substantially cylindrical base cap 30 has a sidewall 31 that is treated with a non-slip coating 32. An internal thread (not shown) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the sidewall 31, which threads onto an external thread (not shown) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end 25 of the container body 20, thereby making the base cap 30 detachable from the container body 20. Providing the base cap 30 detachable from the container body 20 is advantageous because, when fabricating the diluent-storage container 10, the base cap 30, along with the inner lid 40 and the top lid 50, can be removed from the container body 20 to easily pour the diluent 21 through the opening end 24 of the container body 20. This is also advantageous because it allows the use of conventional container bodies 20 as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. However, as will be described later, if the inner lid 40 is removed from the base cap 30 and tilted toward the hinge 41, the opening end 24 of the container body 20 can be opened widely, which hardly interferes with the pouring of the diluent 21. Therefore, the base cap 30 may be fixed to the container body 20, or may be formed integrally as a part of the container body 20. Furthermore, when making the base cap 20 detachable from the container body 20, it is not limited to screw connection as in the illustrated embodiment, and any other means may be used.

[0026] The inner lid 40 has a top surface 42 and side walls 43, and is formed in a generally dish-like shape with an open bottom end. An inner tube 44 is formed on the back surface of the top surface 42. When the inner lid 40 is closed on the base cap 30, the inner tube 44 is fitted tightly inside the upper end portion 25 of the container body 20. The inner tube 44 has a downward protruding length set so that its tip comes into generally tight contact with the opening edge 26 of the container body 20 when the inner lid 40 is closed on the base cap 30.

[0027] The outer surface of the side wall 43 of the inner lid 40 is treated with an anti-slip coating 48. In addition, a flange 47 for opening the inner lid is formed to hang down from a point on the side wall 43 that is opposite and spaced approximately 180 degrees from the point where the hinge 41 is provided. Correspondingly, a recess 33 is formed in the side wall 31 of the base cap 30 to accommodate the flange 47 when the inner lid 40 is closed.

[0028] The top surface 42 of the inner lid 40 has a communication opening 45 in its center that communicates with the inner cylinder 44, and an annular protective wall 46 that protrudes upward and surrounds the communication opening 45. The upward protrusion of the protective wall 46 is set to a dimension that is greater than the upward protrusion of the communication opening 45 on the top surface 42 and is substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the depth of the top lid 50. The protective wall 46 is provided to prevent contamination of the sample liquid due to contact with the communication opening 45 when the inner lid 40 is opened by placing a finger on the flange 47. Therefore, the protective wall 46 does not necessarily have to be formed in a circular shape over the entire 360-degree circumference. It may be formed in an arc shape over a range of 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 120 degrees, 180 degrees, etc., centered on the formation point of the flange 47, or may be formed in a plurality of intermittent portions spaced apart to prevent a finger from getting caught.

[0029] The top lid 50 has a top surface 52 and side walls 53, and is formed in a generally dish-like shape with an open bottom end. A cylindrical protrusion 54 protrudes downward from the center of the back surface of the top surface 52. When the top lid 50 is closed onto the inner lid 40, it fits into the communication port 45 of the inner lid 40 to seal it tightly.

[0030] A flange 55 for opening the top lid protrudes outward from a point on the side wall 53 of the top lid 50 that is opposite and spaced approximately 180 degrees from the point where the hinge 51 is provided. Therefore, in the closed state shown in FIG. 1(a), the flange 47 for opening the inner lid and the flange 55 for opening the top lid are positioned opposite each other at approximately 180 degrees. This prevents an erroneous operation such as accidentally hooking a finger on the flange 55 when trying to open the inner lid 40 by hooking a finger on the flange 47 and opening the top lid 50, or opening both the inner lid 40 and the top lid 50 at the same time, or conversely, preventing an erroneous operation such as accidentally hooking a finger on the flange 47 when trying to open the top lid 50 by hooking a finger on the flange 55 and opening the inner lid 40 or opening both the inner lid 40 and the top lid 50 at the same time.

[0031] Furthermore, when opening the inner lid 40 from the base cap 30, a finger is hooked on the flange 47, and when opening the top lid 50 from the inner lid 40, a finger is hooked on the flange 55, which prevents fingers from getting inside the inner lid 40 or top lid 50 and causing contamination.

[0032] An example of the use of this diluent storage container 10 will be described below with reference to FIG. 5. As described above, the container body 20 is pre-filled with a predetermined amount (9 ml in this embodiment) of diluent 21. To inject a specimen sample into this container body 20, the inner lid 40 is removed from the base cap 30 by hooking a finger onto the inner lid opening flange 47 and pulling it up from the closed state shown in FIG. 1(a), thereby placing the inner lid in the open state shown in FIG. 2. Then, a predetermined amount (1 ml in this embodiment) of sample collected with a pipette 60 or the like is injected (FIG. 5(a)). While FIG. 2 shows the inner lid 40 in an open state of about 45 degrees, the inner lid 40 can be opened widely (more than 180 degrees) via the hinge 41, so that the operation of injecting the sample from the open end 24 is not impeded. During this sample injection operation, the top lid 50 remains attached to the inner lid 40.

[0033] After the sample is poured into the container body 20, the inner lid 40 is closed and the diluent storage container 10 is inverted about 4 to 5 times to mix (FIG. 5(b)). As a result, 10 ml of the sample diluted 1 / 10 is stored in the container body 20.

[0034] Next, the top lid 50 is removed from the inner lid 40 by hooking a finger on the flange 55 used for opening the top lid and pulling it up, leaving the top lid in the open state shown in Figure 3, then the container is turned upside down, the reduced diameter portion 22 is compressed from both sides, and a predetermined amount of diluted sample is dispensed into a Petri dish 70, various dried culture media, etc. while referring to the scale 23 (Figure 5(c)). In the case of a highly contaminated specimen sample, 1 ml of the 1 / 10 diluted sample obtained above is injected using the dispensing function into the container body 20 containing 9 ml of diluent in another diluent storage container 10, and by repeating the dispensing process in the same manner, diluted samples of 1 / 100, 1 / 1000, etc. can be obtained.

[0035] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 Dilution liquid container 20 Container body 21 Diluted Solution 22 Reduced diameter part 23 scales 24 Open end 25 Upper end 26 Opening edge 30 base caps 31 Side wall 32 Anti-slip treatment 33 Recess 40 Inner lid 41 Hinge (first hinge) 42 Top 43 Side wall 44 Inner cylinder 45 Connecting port 46 Protective Wall 47 Flange for opening the inner lid 48 Anti-slip treatment 50 Top lid 51 Hinge (second hinge) 52 Top 53 Side wall 54 Protrusion 55 Flange for opening the top cover 60 pipettes 70 Petri dishes

Claims

1. A diluted liquid storage container comprising a container body capable of holding a predetermined amount of diluted liquid, an approximately cylindrical base cap attached to the open end of the container body, an inner lid connected to the base cap by a first hinge so as to be able to open and close, and a top lid connected to the inner lid by a second hinge so as to be able to open and close, wherein when the base cap is attached to the container body and the inner lid is closed to the base cap, a communication port communicating with the inside of the container body is provided through the top surface of the inner lid, and when the top lid is closed to the inner lid, a protrusion is provided protruding downward from the top surface of the top lid to seal the communication port in the inner lid.

2. A dilution liquid storage container as described in claim 1, characterized in that a male thread is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end of the container body, and a female thread that screws onto the male thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the base cap, and the base cap can be attached and detached to the container body via the threaded engagement between the male thread and the female thread.

3. 2. The diluent container according to claim 1, wherein the base cap, the inner lid and the top lid are formed continuously via a first hinge and a second hinge.

4. 2. The diluent container according to claim 1, wherein a protective wall is formed on the top surface of the inner lid so as to protrude upward and surround the communication port.

5. A dilution liquid storage container as described in claim 3, characterized in that the first hinge and the second hinge are provided at approximately opposing points on the outer periphery of the inner lid, a flange portion for opening the inner lid is formed at a point on the outer periphery of the inner lid that is approximately opposing the first hinge, and a flange portion for opening the upper lid is formed at a point on the outer periphery of the upper lid that is approximately opposing the second hinge.

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