Sample container

Abstract

To provide a specimen container which can easily seal a specimen or the like in the container at the specimen collection site and, at that time, can supply an appropriate amount of preservative liquid to the sealed container containing the specimen or the like without exposing it to the outside world. [Solution] A specimen container comprising a storage vessel 1 that contains and seals a specimen S, a reservoir 2 that contains and seals a preservative liquid L in which the specimen S is immersed, a liquid passage 4 that connects the storage vessel 1 to the bottom of the reservoir 2, an air passage 5 that connects the upper part of the storage vessel 1 to the upper part of the reservoir 2, and a liquid supply means 6 that opens and closes the liquid passage 4, wherein the storage vessel 1 and the reservoir 2 are transparent or translucent, and the reservoir 2 seals the upper opening of the storage vessel 1 with its lower end surface in an openable and closable manner.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a specimen container that can easily accommodate a biological sample (hereinafter referred to as "specimen") such as an organ or tissue, and that can supply an appropriate amount of preservative solution into the container without exposing the specimen to the outside of the container (hereinafter referred to as "outside world"). [Background technology]

[0002] As a container for transporting specimens collected from the human body in medical settings and the like to the testing department, a box-shaped container consisting of a container body that stores the specimen immersed in a preservative solution such as formalin solution, and a lid for sealing the storage section is used (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

[0003] Such box-shaped containers have a top opening large enough to accommodate the size of the specimen to be stored, making them easy to store. However, when the specimen is immersed in the preservative solution, the preservative solution is exposed through the opening, creating the risk of the person from whom the specimen was taken and other personnel (hereinafter referred to as "attendees") inhaling large amounts of gas. Formalin, in particular, is an aqueous solution of formaldehyde and is a toxic substance designated as a carcinogen. It also has a pungent odor, and if present in an environment where there is a risk of constant exposure to formalin, it could harm the physical condition and health of those present.

[0004] Although it is conceivable to install various devices and equipment to avoid exposure to such preservative solutions, it is extremely difficult to install them at the site of specimen collection. In order to improve this situation, Patent Document 2 discloses a storage container that can store specimens and medicinal solutions (hereinafter collectively referred to as "specimens, etc.") at the specimen collection site without exposing them to the outside world. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2025-113118 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2023-530940 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, to properly immerse the entire specimen in the preservative solution, a container with a shape suitable for the specimen's form (shape and volume) and an amount of preservative solution suitable for the specimen's form and the container's form are basically required. The container disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a disposable container filled with a predetermined preservative solution, and so although it can accommodate specimens with a certain shape, it has the problem of being unable to accommodate specimens for which the appropriate amount of preservative solution or the container volume is too large or too small.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a specimen container that allows specimens, etc. to be easily sealed in the container at the specimen collection site, and that allows an appropriate amount of preservative solution to be supplied to the sealed container containing the specimen, etc., without exposing it to the outside world. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The specimen container according to the present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, comprises a storage vessel that contains and seals the specimen, a reservoir that contains and seals a preservative solution in which the specimen is immersed, a liquid passage that connects the storage vessel to the bottom of the reservoir, an air passage that connects the upper part of the storage vessel to the upper part of the reservoir, and a liquid supply means for opening and closing the liquid passage, wherein the storage vessel and reservoir are transparent or translucent, and the lower end surface of the reservoir seals the upper opening of the storage vessel in an openable and closable manner.

[0009] The storage container and reservoir may have the same or similar body shape. Alternatively, the storage container may have a liquid passage that connects the top end of the storage container to the bottom of the reservoir, and a spraying means below the liquid passage that sprays and drops the preserved drug solution flowing from the reservoir into the interior of the storage container. Here, "similar shape" refers to a shape that is not the same shape, but that gives the feeling that the preservative solution is being supplied to a storage container when it is supplied to the reservoir, and "semi-transparent" refers to a degree of transparency that at least allows the shape or shadow of the specimen and the level of the contained preservative solution to be seen through the side wall. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The specimen container according to the present invention is configured to include a liquid passageway that connects the storage vessel with the bottom of the reservoir, an air vent passageway that connects the upper part of the storage vessel with the upper part of the reservoir, and a liquid supply means for opening and closing the liquid passageway. A specimen is placed in the storage vessel, and a sealed reservoir that has been filled with a preservative solution in a chamber or the like is placed on the upper opening of the storage vessel and sealed. By opening the liquid supply means, ventilation between the storage vessel and the reservoir is achieved via the air vent passageway as the preservative solution falls, and the preservative solution can be introduced into the storage vessel without exposing it to the outside world, allowing the specimen to be immersed in an appropriate amount of preservative solution within the storage vessel.

[0011] Furthermore, since the storage container and reservoir are transparent or translucent, the immersion status of the specimen can be easily checked. Furthermore, by adopting a configuration in which the storage container and reservoir are identical or similar in shape, it is possible to relatively easily adjust the amount of preservative solution to be sealed in advance in a reservoir of the same or similar shape so that there is neither an excess nor a deficiency, as long as the volume of the storage container is appropriately selected according to the size of the specimen to be contained in the storage container. If an excessive amount of preservative solution is contained in the reservoir, the introduction of the preservative solution into the storage container can be stopped by closing the liquid supply means when the amount of preservative solution in the storage container reaches an appropriate amount.

[0012] Furthermore, by providing a liquid passageway that connects the upper end of the storage container with the bottom of the storage container, and by providing a spraying means below the liquid passageway that sprays the preservative liquid flowing from the storage container into the interior space of the storage container, it is possible to avoid damage to the specimen due to the liquid pressure when supplying the preservative liquid from the storage container to the storage container. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a specimen container according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a specimen container according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of a liquid passage and a liquid supply means of a specimen container according to the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an example of a liquid passage and a liquid supply means of a specimen container according to the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a plan view showing an example of a liquid passage and a liquid supply means of a specimen container according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a plan view showing an example of a liquid passage and a liquid supply means of a specimen container according to the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an example of an embodiment of a specimen container according to the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a specimen container according to the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a specimen container according to the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing an example of a specimen container according to the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing an example of a specimen container according to the present invention. [Figure 12] 1 is a side view showing an example of a specimen container according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the specimen container will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The specimen container shown in Figure 1 comprises a storage vessel 1 that contains and seals the specimen S, a reservoir 2 that contains and seals a preservative solution L in which the specimen S is immersed, a liquid passage 4 that connects the storage vessel 1 to the bottom of the reservoir 2, an air passage 5 that connects the upper end of the storage vessel 1 to the upper end of the reservoir 2, and a liquid supply means 6 that opens and closes the liquid passage 4.

[0015] Storage container 1 and reservoir 2 are containers made of transparent or translucent synthetic resin or glass that are resistant to the preservative solution L, and storage container 1 and reservoir 2 are molded to have the same or similar shape and volume. In this example, the storage container 1 and the storage container 2 are molded into a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a uniform thickness and a smooth inner surface. The storage container 1 and the storage container 2 in this example have a main body surrounded by side plates and a bottom plate, and with an opening that is open over almost the entire top surface. Here, the main body is a part having a space for storing an object. The shape of the main body is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped, but can also be a cylindrical shape with a bottom or an elliptical cylindrical shape with a bottom.

[0016] Reservoir 2 is provided with a lid 3 that seals the upper opening of said reservoir 2, and by opening and closing the lid 3, the preservative medicinal solution L can be supplied and sealed into said reservoir 2. The shape of the upper opening of reservoir 2 and the lid 3 that seals it can be selected appropriately depending on the means for supplying the preservative medicinal solution L to reservoir 2 (supply from a container, supply from a pipe such as a faucet), and as shown in the figure, a fitting type can be selected in which a connecting portion 7 is provided around the entire periphery of the upper opening, which opens almost the entire top surface of the main body, and the entire periphery of the lid 3 is airtightly fitted into said connecting portion 7 to seal the entire top surface of the main body; a fitting type in which a connecting portion is provided around the entire periphery of the upper opening, which opens part of the top surface of the main body, and the entire periphery of the lid is airtightly fitted into said connecting portion to seal the supply port; or a screw-in type in which a cylindrical upper opening is provided over part or almost the entire top surface of the main body, and a cylindrical lid with a bottom is screwed onto said upper opening in an airtight manner.

[0017] The main body of the reservoir 2 of the specimen container shown in the figure is provided with a closing plate 10 as the lower end surface of the reservoir 2, which is integrally connected to the bottom plate 8 of the reservoir 2 via a spacer 9. These are connected using bolts and nuts 11 inserted into multiple places (four places in this example) in the center of the bottom plate 8 (in this example, the heads of the bolts engage the inner surface of the bottom plate 8, and the nuts engage the back surface of the sealing plate 10), and by tightening the bolts and nuts 11, the spacer 9 is sandwiched between the bottom plate 8 of the reservoir 2 and the sealing plate 10, forming an integrated unit. Packings (not shown) are fitted between the heads of the bolts and nuts 11 and the bottom plate 8 of the reservoir 2, and between the nuts of the bolts and nuts 11 and the back surface of the sealing plate 10, to prevent liquid and gas from leaking from the bolt holes to the outside.

[0018] The closing plate 10 fits in an airtight manner into the upper opening of the storage container 1, which opens almost the entire top surface of the storage container 1, and seals the storage container 1. The storage container 1 and reservoir 2 in this example are constructed as described above, and by shaping the outer shape of the bottom plate of the storage container 1 and the outer shape of the lid 3 so that the storage container 1 can be placed comfortably and horizontally on the lid 3, multiple specimen containers can be stacked for transport, carriage, and storage.

[0019] One of the bolts and nuts 11 has a through hole 12 that extends from the tip of the bolt to the side of the head, forming an air passage 5 that connects the top of storage container 1 with the bottom of storage container 2. Furthermore, this air passage 5 is extended by fixing a pipe 13 that extends laterally from through hole 12 to through hole 12 on the side of the head and bends upward near the side plate of storage section 2, thereby forming an air passage 5 that connects the top of storage container 1 with the top of storage container 2. The tip of pipe 13 is positioned above the top end of the body of storage container 2 but does not reach the back surface of lid 3.

[0020] The reservoir 2 has a liquid supply hole 14 in the center of its bottom plate 8, and the spacer 9 has a liquid passage hole 15 in the center of the spacer 9 at a position facing the liquid supply hole 14. The liquid passage 4 is formed by the liquid supply hole 14 and the liquid passage hole 15 communicating with each other.

[0021] A liquid supply means 6 for opening and closing the liquid passage 4 is fixed to the center of the spacer 9 . The liquid supply means 6 is integrally equipped with a base plate 17 having a cone-shaped hole 16 in the center facing the liquid passage hole 15, a valve body 18 that opens and closes the liquid passage 4 by coming into close contact with the surface of the cone-shaped hole 16 and then separating from it, a closing means 19 that urges the valve body 18 in the closing direction, a rotating cam 20 that contacts the lower part of the valve body 18 and urges the valve body 18 to move up and down against the closing means 19, a rack and pinion mechanism 21 that causes the rotating cam 20 to rotate in a manner sufficient to move the valve body 18 up and down, and a knob 22 that causes the rack and pinion 21 to function (to cause the rotating cam 20 to rotate in the manner described above).

[0022] By providing a spraying means, such as by attaching a downwardly expanding cap plate 24 below the liquid passage 4, to spray and drip the preservative liquid L flowing from the reservoir 2 into the inner space of the storage container 1, it is possible to prevent a large amount of preservative liquid L from concentrating and falling in one place on the specimen S.

[0023] Storage container 1 has a connecting portion 23 around the entire periphery of its upper opening, and this connecting portion 23 is airtightly fitted to the entire periphery of the closing plate 10. With this configuration, storage container 1 and storage container 2 are detachably connected between the upper opening of storage container 1 and closing plate 10, and storage container 1 and storage container 2 can be transported and stored as a single unit.

[0024] The specimen container according to the present invention is configured as described above, and first, a specimen container having a storage container 1 with a shape that matches the shape of the specimen S that is presumed to be collected is selected, and using the shape of the selected specimen container's storage container 2 (or storage container 1 with the same or similar shape as storage container 2) as a guide, an amount of preservative liquid L that is deemed appropriate for the shape of the specimen S that is presumed to be collected is poured into storage container 2, and then the lid 3 is closed. This operation is performed using a chamber or the like, and since storage container 1 and storage container 2 have the same or similar shapes, it is easy to adjust the storage amounts while assuming in advance the amounts of specimen S and preservative liquid L to be stored.

[0025] Next, a specimen container filled with preservative liquid L is brought to the specimen collection site, and the specimen S is stored in the storage container 1. At this time, since the storage container 1 matches the shape of the specimen S that is presumed to be collected and has almost the entire top surface open, the specimen S can be stored in the storage container 1 quickly and without any problems. Once the specimen S has been stored in the storage container 1, the upper opening of the storage container 1 is sealed with the sealing plate 10 of the reservoir 2, and after confirming that it is sealed, the knob 22 of the rack and pinion mechanism 21 is pulled to turn the rotating cam 20, which pushes up the valve body 18 that interferes with the rotating cam 20 and opens the closed liquid passage 4.

[0026] When the liquid passage 4 is opened, the preservative liquid L filled in the reservoir 2 flows down into the storage container 1 without any waste, and the storage container 1 is filled with the preservative liquid L until the entire specimen S contained therein is immersed (if there is too much preservative liquid L, the knob 22 can be pushed in during the flow-in process). At this time, the air present inside the storage container 1 is sent to the upper part of the reservoir 2 via the air passage 5, and the preservative liquid L and air circulate between the reservoir 2 and the storage container 1 until the preservative liquid L in the reservoir 2 is depleted. If a spraying means is provided at the lower end of the liquid passage 4 for spraying the preservative liquid L flowing from the reservoir 2 into the interior space of the storage container 1, the preservative liquid L can be supplied to the storage container 1 in a manner that appropriately scatters the falling preservative liquid L.

[0027] In this way, after the specimen container according to the present invention has filled the reservoir 2 with an appropriate amount of preservative liquid L, it is possible to contain and store the specimen S without exposing the preservative liquid L to the outside world at all until the specimen S is removed from the storage container 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] L preservative solution, S specimen, 1 storage container, 2 reservoir, 3 lid, 4 liquid passage, 5 air passage, 6 liquid supply means, 7 connecting portion, 8 bottom plate, 9 spacer, 10 sealing plate, 11 Bolts and nuts, 12 Through holes, 13 Pipes, 14 Liquid supply hole, 15 Liquid passage hole, 16 Conical hole, 17 base plate, 18 valve body, 19 closing means, 20 rotating cam, 21 rack and pinion mechanism, 22 knob, 23 connection part, 24 cap board,

Claims

1. a storage container for containing and sealing the specimen; a reservoir containing and sealing a preservative solution in which the specimen is immersed; a liquid passage that connects the storage container and the bottom of the reservoir; an air passage that connects the upper portion of the storage container with the upper portion of the reservoir; a liquid supply means for opening and closing the liquid passage, the storage and reservoir vessels are transparent or translucent; A specimen container that seals the upper opening of the storage container with the lower end surface of the reservoir so as to be freely openable and closable.

2. 2. The specimen container according to claim 1, wherein the storage container and the reservoir have bodies of the same or similar shapes.

3. a liquid passage that connects the top end of the storage container with the bottom of the reservoir; 3. A specimen container according to claim 1, further comprising a spraying means below the liquid passage for spraying and dropping the preservative solution flowing from the reservoir into the inner space of the storage container.

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