Biological indicator incubator and biological indicator incubator system

Abstract

A biological indicator incubator includes a base, at least one well, and a display. The base is configured to support the biological indicator incubator on an external surface. The at least one well is configured to at least partially receive therein and incubate a biological indicator. The display is spaced apart from the base and includes at least one display portion. Each display portion from the at least one display portion is designated for displaying information pertaining to a corresponding well from the at least one well. The corresponding well is disposed adjacent to the display portion. The at least one display portion includes a graphical user interface that is configured to receive one or more user inputs. A biological indicator incubator system may include multiple biological indicator incubators.

Description

[0001] BIOLOGICAL INDICATOR INCUBATOR AND BIOLOGICAL INDICATOR INCUBATOR SYSTEM

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a biological indicator incubator and a biological indicator incubator system including multiple biological indicator incubators.

[0004] Background

[0005] In a variety of industries, such as the health care industry, but also in other industrial applications, it may be necessary to monitor effectiveness of sterilization processes that are used to sterilize equipment, such as medical devices, instruments, and other disposable and non-disposable articles.

[0006] Biological indicators (Bls) may be used to test the sterilization processes. Bls may include a known quantity of test microorganisms, for example, Geobacillus stearothermophilus (formerly Bacillus stearothermophilus') or Bacillus atrophaeus (formerly Bacillus subtilis) spores, which may be many times more resistant to particular sterilization processes than other contaminating organisms.

[0007] The Bls may be placed in a sterilizer and undergo a sterilization cycle. A sterilization cycle is generally defined as a process of destroying all viable sources of biological activity, such as microorganisms, including structures such as viruses and spores. After the completion of a sterilization cycle, the Bls may be removed from the sterilizer, activated, and placed in a biological indicator incubator, which may incubate the Bls and also output an automated reading of a result, i.e., a positive result or a negative result. The result may correspond to an effectiveness of the sterilization process. However, conventional biological indicator incubators may not output the result and / or important information pertaining to the Bls in a user-friendly and / or a compact manner.

[0008] Moreover, depending on the industry and application requirements, a number of the Bls that may need to be incubated simultaneously at a given time can vary drastically, for example, from a small hospital setting to a large-scale sterilization operation. Consequently, in some applications, multiple units of the biological indicator incubator may be required. However, conventional biological indicator incubators may be bulky and require a large amount of space. Summary

[0009] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a biological indicator incubator. The biological indicator incubator includes a base configured to support the biological indicator incubator on an external surface. The biological indicator incubator further includes at least one well configured to at least partially receive therein and incubate a biological indicator. The biological indicator incubator further includes a display spaced apart from the base. The display includes at least one display portion. Each display portion from the at least one display portion is designated for displaying information pertaining to a corresponding well from the at least one well. The corresponding well is disposed adjacent to the display portion. The at least one display portion includes a graphical user interface that is configured to receive one or more user inputs.

[0010] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a biological indicator incubator. The biological indicator incubator includes a base configured to support the biological indicator incubator on an external surface. The biological indicator incubator further includes a display spaced apart from the base. The biological indicator incubator further includes multiple wells. Each well from the multiple wells is configured to at least partially receive therein and incubate a biological indicator. The multiple wells includes a first well located at a first vertical height from the base. The multiple wells further includes a second well located at a second vertical height from the base. The first vertical height is different from the second vertical height.

[0011] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a biological indicator incubator system. The biological indicator incubator system includes multiple biological indicator incubators. Each biological indicator incubator from the multiple biological indicator incubators includes: a processing device; a base configured to support the biological indicator incubator on an external surface; a display spaced apart from the base; and multiple wells. Each well from the multiple wells is configured to at least partially receive therein and incubate a biological indicator. The multiple biological indicator incubators is configured to be detachably coupled together. Each biological indicator incubator from the multiple biological indicator incubators is a standalone unit. Each biological indicator incubator further includes a power source connection.

[0012] The details of one or more examples of the disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013] Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description in connection with the following figures. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Like numbers used in the figures refer to like components. However, the use of a number to refer to a component in a given figure is not intended to limit the component in another figure labeled with the same number.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic front side perspective view of a biological indicator incubator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the biological indicator incubator taken along a line 1-1 of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 3 is schematic a top view of a cover glass, in isolation, of the biological indicator incubator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 4 is schematic a top side perspective view of the biological indicator incubator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a schematic rear perspective view of the biological indicator incubator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 6 is a schematic bottom view of the biological indicator incubator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0020] FIG. 7 is a schematic front perspective view of a biological indicator incubator system including multiple biological indicator incubators according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Detailed Description

[0022] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying figures that form a part thereof and in which various embodiments are shown by way of illustration. Other embodiments are contemplated, however, and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0023] In the following disclosure, the following definitions are adopted.

[0024] As recited herein, all numbers should be considered modified by the term “about.” As used herein, “a,” “an,” “the,” “at least one,” and “one or more” are used interchangeably.

[0025] As used herein as a modifier to a property or attribute, the term “generally,” unless otherwise specifically defined, means that the property or attribute would be readily recognizable by a person of ordinary skill but without requiring absolute precision or a perfect match (e.g., within + / - 20 % for quantifiable properties). The term “substantially,” unless otherwise specifically defined, means to a high degree of approximation (e.g., within + / - 10% for quantifiable properties) but again without requiring absolute precision or a perfect match.

[0026] The term “about,” unless otherwise specifically defined, means to a high degree of approximation (e.g., within + / - 5% for quantifiable properties) but again without requiring absolute precision or a perfect match.

[0027] Terms such as same, equal, uniform, constant, strictly, and the like, are understood to be within the usual tolerances or measuring error applicable to the particular circumstance rather than requiring absolute precision or a perfect match.

[0028] As used herein, the terms “first” and “second” are used as identifiers. Therefore, such terms should not be construed as limiting of this disclosure. The terms “first” and “second” when used in conjunction with a feature or an element can be interchanged throughout the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0029] As used herein, when a first material is termed as “similar” to a second material, at least 90 weight % of the first and second materials are identical and any variation between the first and second materials comprises less than about 10 weight % of each of the first and second materials.

[0030] As used herein, “at least one of A and B” should be understood to mean “only A, only B, or both A and B.”

[0031] As used herein, the term “processing device” refers to any physical device having an electric circuit that performs a logic operation. For example, a processing device may include one or more processors, integrated circuits, microchips, microcontrollers, microprocessors, all or part of a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), digital signal processor (DSP), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other circuits suitable for executing instructions or performing logic operations.

[0032] As used herein, the term “communicably coupled” refers to direct coupling between components and / or indirect coupling between components via one or more intervening components. Such components and intervening components may include, but are not limited to, junctions, communication paths, components, circuit elements, circuits, functional blocks, and / or devices. As an example of indirect coupling, a signal conveyed from a first component to a second component may be modified by one or more intervening components by modifying the form, nature, or format of information in a signal, while one or more elements of the information in the signal are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can be recognized by the second component. As used herein, the term “sterilization” generally refers to a process of eliminating all bacteria and other living organisms from surfaces of instruments, medical devices, implants, and other articles used in sterile surgical procedures. A conventional thermal sterilization process employs steam under pressure. Low-temperature chemical sterilization processes employ ethylene oxide, hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen peroxide / plasma, or peracetic acid in liquid or vapor form as the sterilant, as well as gamma irradiation and electron beam sterilization.

[0033] As used herein, the term “sterilizer” refers to a system or an apparatus that can carry out a sterilization cycle, i.e., a process of completely destroying all viable sources of biological activity, such as microorganisms, including structures such as viruses and spores.

[0034] As used herein, the term “result” refers to an outcome indicative of an effectiveness of a sterilization cycle that can be determined by a biological indicator incubator by reading a biological indicator that has undergone the sterilization cycle. The result may be positive or negative. A positive result refers to an unsuccessful sterilization of the biological indicator after undergoing the sterilization process. The positive result may be determined by the biological indicator incubator upon detection of a presence of biological activity (for example, by detection of unsterilized microorganisms) in the biological indicator after undergoing the sterilization process. A negative result refers to a successful sterilization of the biological indicator after undergoing the sterilization process. The negative result may be determined by biological indicator incubator when the presence of biological activity is not detected in the biological indicator after undergoing the sterilization process. The negative result is indicative of effective sterilization. In other words, the negative result indicates that microorganisms in the biological indicator are effectively killed during the sterilization process.

[0035] The present disclosure provides a biological indicator incubator. The biological indicator incubator includes a base configured to support the biological indicator incubator on an external surface. The biological indicator incubator further includes at least one well configured to at least partially receive therein and incubate a biological indicator. The biological indicator incubator further includes a display spaced apart from the base. The display includes at least one display portion. Each display portion from the at least one display portion is designated for displaying information pertaining to a corresponding well from the at least one well. The corresponding well is disposed adjacent to the display portion. The at least one display portion includes a graphical user interface that is configured to receive one or more user inputs.

[0036] The biological indicator incubator of the present disclosure may be intuitive and easy to operate. Specifically, the graphical user interface of each display portion may provide a user with an intuitive interface by which the user may interact with and operate the biological indicator incubator. Therefore, the biological indicator incubator may be user-friendly.

[0037] Furthermore, as each display portion is disposed adjacent to the corresponding well, each display portion may display the information pertaining to the corresponding well in a clear and concise manner, thereby improving comprehensibility of the information. This may also improve the accuracy and precision of interpretation of the information, thereby minimizing the potential for confusion and erroneous interpretation of the information during monitoring and analysis of the biological indicator using the biological indicator incubator.

[0038] Moreover, each display portion may display important information pertaining to the corresponding well, such as, for example, a remaining time duration of incubation of the biological indicator, and if an error has occurred during incubation and / or reading of the biological indicator.

[0039] In some examples, the at least one well may include multiple wells including a first well and a second well. The first well may be located at a different vertical height from the second well, which may improve accessibility to respective biological indicators at least partially received within the first well and the second well. Specifically, this may facilitate insertion and removal of the respective biological indicators from the first well and the second well. This may further facilitate the user to read information from the respective biological indicators (e.g., from labels of the respective biological indicators) at least partially received within the first well and the second well. Consequently, the biological indicator incubator may be ergonomic to use and may further reduce the risk of accidental damage to the respective biological indicators. Furthermore, the biological indicator incubator may simultaneously and independently incubate and read multiple biological indicators.

[0040] In some examples, the display may be inclined at an oblique angle with respect to the base, such that the at least two display portions from multiple display portions are located at different vertical heights from the base. In some cases, the oblique angle may be from about 15 degrees to about 35 degrees, which may ensure optimal viewing angles for users and may minimize glare and maximize legibility. This may enhance the overall usability of the biological indicator incubator, particularly in environments with varying lighting conditions.

[0041] Furthermore, the biological indicator incubator may be one of multiple biological indicator incubators. The multiple biological indicator incubators may be detachably coupled together in a side-by-side configuration, thereby saving space. Further, the multiple biological indicator incubators may operate independently from each other, and detachably coupling the multiple biological indicator incubators may not compromise features and usability of each of the multiple biological indicator incubators. Referring now to the Figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a front side perspective view of a biological indicator incubator 100 (hereinafter referred to as “the incubator 100”), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] The incubator 100 defines mutually orthogonal x, y, and z-axes. The x and y-axes are in-plane axes of the incubator 100, while the z-axis is a transverse axis disposed along a height of the incubator 100. In other words, the x and y-axes are disposed along a plane of the incubator 100, while the z-axis is perpendicular to the plane of the incubator 100.

[0043] The incubator 100 includes a housing 105. The housing 105 may form a structure of the incubator 100. The housing 105 may be compact, and may have an internal volume of no greater than 0.5 liter (L), no greater than 0.4 L, no greater than 0.3 L, no greater than 0.2 L, or no greater than 0.1 L. The housing 105 is shown in FIG. 1 as being mostly rectangular, when viewed from a top to bottom direction (i.e., a direction along the z-axis), and has a generally rounded rectangular or an ellipsoidal cross-section along the x-y plane.

[0044] The incubator 100 further includes a base 110. Specifically, the housing 105 includes the base 110. The base 110 is configured to support the incubator 100 on an external surface 50 (schematically and partially shown in FIG. 1). The base 110 may have any suitable design for supporting the incubator 100 on the external surface 50. In some examples, the base 110 may include one or more rubberized feet (not shown in FIG. 1) to improve a stability of the incubator 100 on the external surface 50 and prevent skidding. The external surface 50 may be a surface of any structure, for example, a table, a shelf, a floor, and so forth. The external surface 50 may be substantially planar.

[0045] The incubator 100 further includes at least one well 120. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the at least one well 120 includes multiple wells 120, specifically, wells 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E. In the following description, when referring to the at least one well 120, it should be understood that reference is made to one or more of the wells 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E. Further, when referring to the multiple wells 120, reference is made to two or more of the wells 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E. The at least one well 120 may be located in the housing 105. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the multiple wells 120 is located in the housing 105.

[0046] The at least one well 120 is configured to at least partially receive therein a biological indicator 10. Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, each well 120 from the multiple wells 120 is configured to at least partially receive therein a biological indicator 10. In FIG. 1, for illustrative purposes, only a single biological indicator 10 is shown received partially within the well 120E. However, each of the wells 120A, 120B, 120C, 120D, 120E may at least partially receive therein the biological indicator 10. The incubator 100 further includes a display 130. The display 130 is spaced apart from the base 110. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the incubator 100 further includes a side portion 112. Specifically, the housing 105 includes the side portion 112. The side portion 112 extends from the base 110. Further, the display 130 is disposed on and coupled to the side portion 112 opposite to the base 110, such that the display 130 forms a top of the incubator 100. That is, the display 130 forms a top of the housing 105.

[0047] The display 130 includes at least one display portion 132. Each display portion 132 from the at least one display portion 132 is designated for displaying information pertaining to a corresponding well 120 from the at least one well 120. Further, the corresponding well 120 is disposed adjacent to the display portion 132.

[0048] In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the at least one display portion 132 includes multiple display portions 132, specifically, display portions 132A, 132B, 132C, 132D, 132E, spaced apart from each other. In FIG. 1, for illustrative and clarity purposes, each of the multiple display portions 132 is delimited by a rectangular boundary. In the following description, when referring to the at least one display portion 132, reference is made to one or more of the display portions 132A, 132B, 132C, 132D, 132E. Further, when referring to the multiple display portions 132 reference is made to two or more of the display portions 132 A, 132B, 132C, 132D, 132E. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, each display portion 132 from the multiple display portions 132 is designated for displaying information pertaining to the corresponding well 120 from the multiple wells 120.

[0049] Further, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the multiple display portions 132 is in one-to-one correspondence with the multiple wells 120. Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the display portion 132 A corresponds to and is disposed adjacent to the well 120A, the display portion 132B corresponds to and is disposed adjacent to the well 120B, the display portion 132C corresponds to and is disposed adjacent to the well 120C, the display portion 132D corresponds to and is disposed adjacent to the well 120D, and the display portion 132E corresponds to and is disposed adjacent to the well 120E.

[0050] The incubator 100 further includes a processing device 160 (schematically shown in FIG. 2). The processing device 160 may be located in the housing 105. The processing device 160 may be communicably coupled to one or more components (e.g., the display 130) of the incubator 100 to control an operation of the incubator 100. In some embodiments, the processing device 160 may control incubation time and / or incubation temperature of the incubator 100. In some embodiments, the incubator 100 may further include a printed circuit board (not shown). In some embodiments, the printed circuit board may include the processing device 160. The printed circuit board may be rigid and planar, or in some other cases, the printed circuit board may be flexible.

[0051] The at least one well 120 is further configured to incubate the biological indicator 10. Examples of the biological indicator 10 are known and are manufactured by companies such as 3M under the trade designation ATTEST, Steris (Mentor, OH) under the trade designation Verify, and Terragene (Argentina).

[0052] The biological indicator 10 may include spores (not shown) and a substance (not shown). The biological indicator 10 may allow mixing of the spores with the substance. A process of mixing the spores with the substance may be referred to as an activation of the biological indicator 10. In some embodiments, the biological indicator 10 may be at least partially received within the at least one well 120 in its activated state. In some embodiments, at least partially receiving the biological indicator 10 within the at least one well 120 may activate the biological indicator 10.

[0053] Upon activation of the biological indicator 10, the substance may induce germination and initial outgrowth of viable spores from the spores. The incubator 100 may expedite growth of the viable spores in the substance by providing the biological indicator 10 with heat. The viable spores may react with the substance. The incubator 100 may detect presence of viable spores by detecting a reaction between the viable spores and the substance. The incubator 100 may subsequently output a result corresponding to the reaction between the viable spores and the substance, which may correspond to an effectiveness of a sterilization process undergone by the biological indicator 10. In some embodiments, the processing device 160 of the incubator 100 may analyze data from one or more sensors to compute the result.

[0054] As discussed above, each display portion 132 is designated for displaying the information pertaining to the corresponding well 120. The information pertaining to the corresponding well 120 may include any information related to the biological indicator 10 received within the corresponding well 120. In some embodiments, the information pertaining to the corresponding well 120 includes at least one of a remaining time duration of incubation of the biological indicator 10, a result of a sterilization process of the biological indicator 10, and an error. Advantageously, each display portion 132 may display multiple types of information related to the biological indicator 10 received within the corresponding well 120.

[0055] In some embodiments, the incubator 100 may independently and simultaneously incubate multiple biological indicators 10 received at least partially within the multiple wells 120. Each biological indicator 10 from the multiple biological indicators 10 may be at least partially received within a respective well 120 from the multiple wells 120. In some examples, the incubator 100 may include multiple heater blocks (not shown) corresponding to the multiple wells 120. Each heater block may be thermally coupled to the corresponding well 120. Further, the multiple wells 120 may be thermally insulated from each other, for example, by thermally insulating foam disposed therebetween. Each heater block may apply heat to the biological indicator 10 that is at least partially received within the respective well 120 to independently incubate the biological indicator 10. The incubator 100 may also independently display the result of the sterilization process of each of the multiple biological indicators 10, and other information, via the corresponding display portion 132 from the multiple display portions 132.

[0056] The at least one display portion 132 includes a graphical user interface 134 that is configured to receive one or more user inputs. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, each display portion 132 includes the graphical user interface 134. In some embodiments, the graphical user interface 134 includes at least one of capacitive touch, resistive touch, infrared touch, optical imaging touch, and a switch button. In some examples, the switch button may provide tactile or non-tactile feedback. Examples of the switch button include, but are not limited to, a metal-dome switch button and a poly-dome switch button.

[0057] In some embodiments, the graphical user interface 134 may include a touch screen. The touch screen may be of any suitable type, such as resistive, capacitive, projected capacitive, surface acoustic wave, infrared, and the like. Thus, a user may interact with the graphical user interface 134. In some examples, the user may interact with the graphical user interface 134 to initialize incubation of the biological indicator 10 received in the corresponding well 120, to display a status of the biological indicator 10 received in the corresponding well 120, to designate the biological indicator 10 received in the corresponding well 120 as a control biological indicator, to make a selection from one or more menus, and so forth.

[0058] In some embodiments, the display 130 further includes at least one navigation arrow 133A configured to receive user inputs. In some embodiments, the display 130 may further include at least one confirmation / destruction action(s) button 133B configured to receive user inputs. In some embodiments, the at least one navigation arrow 133 A and the at least one confirmation / destruction action(s) button 133B may be collocated.

[0059] In some embodiments, the incubator 100 may be operated using the at least one navigation arrow 133A and the at least one confirmation / destruction action(s) button 133B. For example, the user may interact with each display portion 132 via the corresponding graphical user interface 134, use the at least one navigation arrow 133 A to browse through various options related to the corresponding well 120, and use the at least one confirmation / destruction action(s) button 133B to save, bookmark, select, confirm, move to a next step, delete, cancel, close, or archive one of the options.

[0060] In some embodiments, the display 130 may further include at least one mute button 133C. The at least one mute button 133C may mute an audible alert produced by the incubator 100 when incubation of the biological indicator 10 in the corresponding well 120 is completed. In some embodiments, the at least one mute button 133C may mute the audible alert for a specific well 120 from the multiple wells 120. In some embodiments, the at least one mute button 133C may mute the audible alert for each of the multiple wells 120.

[0061] In some embodiments, the display 130 may further include at least one status indicator and utility button 133D. In some embodiments, the at least one status indicator and utility button 133D may provide utility actions and functionality. In some embodiments, the at least one status indicator and utility button 133D may also function as a status indicator. The status indicator may display one or more device statuses, such as battery life, errors or alerts, complete or incomplete actions and workflows, connections such as Bluetooth, cellular, Wi-Fi, and so forth. The utility actions and functionality may include accessing settings, functionality, records, information, and so forth.

[0062] The incubator 100 may be intuitive and easy to operate. Specifically, the graphical user interface 134 of each display portion 132 may provide the user with an intuitive interface by which the user may interact with and operate the incubator 100. Therefore, the incubator 100 may be user-friendly.

[0063] Furthermore, as each display portion 132 is disposed adjacent to the corresponding well 120, each display portion 132 may display the information pertaining to the corresponding well 120 in a clear and concise manner, thereby improving comprehensibility of the information. This may also improve the accuracy and precision of interpretation of the information, thereby minimizing the potential for confusion and erroneous interpretation of the information during monitoring and analysis of the biological indicator 10 using the incubator 100.

[0064] Moreover, each display portion 132 may display important information pertaining to the corresponding well 120, such as, for example, the remaining time duration of incubation of the biological indicator 10, and if an error has occurred during incubation and / or reading of the biological indicator 10.

[0065] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of the incubator 100 taken along a line 1-1 of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0066] In some embodiments, the display 130 further includes a cover glass 135. The cover glass 135 is also shown in isolation in FIG. 3. The cover glass 135 includes at least one aperture 136 extending through the cover glass 135. Each aperture 136 from the at least one aperture 136 is aligned axially with the corresponding well 120 from the at least one well 120. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the at least one aperture 136 includes multiple apertures 136 corresponding to the multiple wells 120. Each aperture 136 may allow the corresponding well 120 to at least partially receive the biological indicator 10 (shown in FIG. 1) therein.

[0067] In some embodiments, the at least one well 120 is inclined to the base 110 by a well angle a. Specifically, the at least one well 120 may extend along a well axis 121. Further, the base 110 may extend along a base axis 111. The base axis 111 may be aligned with the y-axis. The well angle a may be defined between the well axis 121 and the base axis 111. In some embodiments, each well 120 is inclined to the base 110 by the well angle a.

[0068] In some embodiments, the well angle a is from about 85 degrees to about 95 degrees. The well angle a being from about 85 degrees to about 95 degrees may facilitate insertion of the biological indicator 10 (shown in FIG. 1) within the at least one well 120 and removal of the biological indicator 10 from the at least one well 120. Specifically, the well angle a being from about 85 degrees to about 95 degrees may reduce the risk of accidental damage to the biological indicator 10.

[0069] Further, in some embodiments, at least two wells 120 from the multiple wells 120 are located at different vertical heights with respect to each other. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the well 120B is located at a different vertical height than the well 120A. More specifically, the well 120B is located at a vertical height that is greater than that of the well 120A.

[0070] In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the well 120A is located at a first vertical height Hl, the well 120B is located at a second vertical height H2, the well 120C is located at a third vertical height H3, the well 120D is located at a fourth vertical height H4, and the well 120E is located at a fifth vertical height H5 from the base 110. The well 120A may be interchangeably referred to as “the first well 120A” and the well 120B may be interchangeably referred to as “the second well 120B.”

[0071] That is, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the first well 120 A is located at the first vertical height Hl from the base 110 and the second well 120B is located at the second vertical height H2 from the base 110. The first vertical height Hl is different from the second vertical height H2. Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the first vertical height Hl is less than the second vertical height H2.

[0072] The first well 120A being located at a different vertical height from the second well 120B may improve accessibility to respective biological indicators 10 at least partially received within the first well 120A and the second well 120B. Specifically, this may facilitate insertion and removal of the respective biological indicators 10 from the first well 120A and the second well 120B. This may further facilitate the user to read information from the respective biological indicators 10 (e.g., from labels of the respective biological indicators) at least partially received within the first well 120A and the second well 120B. Consequently, the incubator 100 may be ergonomic to use.

[0073] In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, each well 120 from the multiple wells 120 is located at a different vertical height from at least one other well 120 from the multiple wells 120. Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the first vertical height Hl, the second vertical height H2, the third vertical height H3, the fourth vertical height H4, and the fifth vertical height H5 are different from each other. The first vertical height Hl is less than the second vertical height H2, the second vertical height H2 is less than the third vertical height H3, the third vertical height H3 is less than the fourth vertical height H4, and the fourth vertical height H4 is less than the fifth vertical height H5. In other words, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the multiple wells 120 is arranged in a step-wise configuration. Specifically, since each well 120 from the multiple wells 120 is located at the different vertical height with respect to the base 110 and each well 120 is inclined to the base 110 by the well angle a (i.e., substantially perpendicular to base axis 111 of the base), the multiple wells 120 is arranged in the step-wise configuration.

[0074] The step-wise configuration of the multiple wells 120 may improve accessibility to respective biological indicators 10 received within the multiple wells 120 and may make the incubator 100 ergonomic to use. Specifically, this may facilitate insertion and removal of the respective biological indicators 10 from the multiple wells 120. This may further facilitate the user to read information from the respective biological indicators 10 at least partially received within the multiple wells 120.

[0075] In some embodiments, the incubator 100 has a maximum height 190H. In some embodiments, the maximum height 190H is about 100 millimeters (mm), about 110 mm, about 120 mm, about 130 mm, about 140 mm, about 150 mm, about 160 mm, about 170 mm, about 180 mm, about 190 mm, or about 200 mm.

[0076] FIG. 4 illustrates a top side perspective view of the incubator 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0077] In some embodiments, the multiple wells 120 is arranged in a first column 141 inclined obliquely to the base 110. Further, in some embodiments, the multiple display portions 132 is arranged in a second column 142 disposed adjacent to and parallel to the first column 141. The first column 141 and the second column 142 are also shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the at least two display portions 132 from the multiple display portions 132 are located at different vertical heights with respect to each other. For example, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, the display portion 132 A is located at a different vertical height than that of the display portion 132B.

[0078] In some embodiments, the display 130 is inclined at an oblique angle P with respect to the base 110, such that the at least two display portions 132 from multiple display portions 132 are located at different vertical heights from the base 110. The oblique angle is also shown in FIG. 2. Specifically, the display 130 may extend along a display axis 131. The oblique angle P may be defined between the base axis 111 and the display axis 131. In some embodiments, the oblique angle P is from about 15 degrees to about 35 degrees. In some embodiments, the oblique angle P is about 25 degrees.

[0079] The oblique angle P may ensure optimal viewing angles for users and may minimize glare and maximize legibility. This may enhance the overall usability of the incubator 100, particularly in environments with varying lighting conditions. Further, the oblique angle P may be balanced to optimize the viewing angles, such that the display 130 may be viewed by the user in a standing position close to the display 130 and / or at variety of viewing distances from the display 130. The viewing distances may be up to about 20 feet, up to about 15 feet, up to about 12 feet, up to about 10 feet, up to about 8 feet, up to about 6 feet, up to about 4 feet, or up to about 2 feet from the display 130.

[0080] Specifically, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, the display 130 is inclined at the oblique angle P with respect to the base 110, such that the multiple display portions 132 is located at different vertical heights from the base 110.

[0081] In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, each display portion 132 is located at a same vertical height as the corresponding well 120. Specifically, each display portion 132 from the multiple display portions 132 is located at the same vertical height as the corresponding adjacent well 120 from the multiple wells 120. For example, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 4, the well 120A and the display portion 132 A are located at the first vertical height Hl, the well 120B and the display portion 132B are located at the second vertical height H2, the well 120C and the display portion 132C are located at the third vertical height H3, the well 120D and the display portion 132D are located at the fourth vertical height H4, and the well 120E and the display portion 132E are located at the fifth vertical height H5 from the base 110. This arrangement of the multiple display portions 132 may ensure that each display portion 132 from the multiple display portions 132 displays the information pertaining to the corresponding well 120 in a clear and concise manner. Referring now to FIG. 5, the incubator 100 may include a power source connection 150. The incubator 100 may receive electrical power via the power source connection 150. The incubator 100 may further include one or more ports 152. The one or more ports 152 may be used to connect the incubator 100 to one or more external devices. The one or more ports 152 may include, for example, a display output port, an ethernet port, a printer accessory port, and so forth.

[0082] FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic bottom view of the incubator 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0083] In some embodiments, the incubator 100 has a footprint that is a projection of the incubator 100 in a plane 11 OP of the base 110. The plane 11 OP of the base 110 may be equivalent to the x-y plane. The incubator 100 may have a maximum length 190L in the plane 110P of the base 110 and a maximum width 190W in the plane 11 OP of the base 110. The footprint may be defined as a product of the maximum length 190L and the maximum width 190W. In some embodiments, the footprint is from about 70 cm2to 200 cm2. In some embodiments, the maximum length 190L in the plane 110P is about 150 mm, about 160 mm, about 170 mm, about 180 mm, about 190 mm, or about 200 mm. In some embodiments, the maximum width 190W in the plane 110P is about 50 mm, about 60 mm, about 70 mm, about 80 mm, about 90 mm, or about 100 mm.

[0084] As will be described below, the incubator 100 may be detachably coupled to one or more additional incubators 100. The footprint of the incubator 100 may be relatively small, especially when compared to conventional biological indicator incubators, such that multiple incubators 100 that is detachably coupled together maximizes utilization of available space.

[0085] FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic front perspective view of a biological indicator incubator system 200 (hereinafter referred to as “the system 200”), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0086] The system 200 includes the multiple incubators 100. In some embodiments, the incubator 100 is one of the multiple incubators 100. Each incubator 100 from the multiple incubators 100 is a standalone unit. The multiple incubators 100 is configured to be detachably coupled together.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 7, in some embodiments, the multiple incubators 100 is configured to be detachably coupled together in a side-by-side configuration, such that the bases 110 of the multiple incubators 100 are located at a same first vertical position, and the displays 130 of the multiple incubators 100 are located at a same second vertical position.

[0088] Further, in some embodiments, the multiple incubators 100 is configured to be detachably coupled together in a side-by-side configuration, such that the first well 120A of each incubator 100 aligns laterally with the first well 120A of an adjacent incubator 100 from the multiple incubators 100, and the second well 120B of each incubator 100 aligns laterally with the second well 120B of the adjacent incubator 100. In some embodiments, the multiple wells 120 is arranged in a column (i.e., the first column 141), and the multiple incubators 100 is detachably coupled together, such that the system 200 includes multiple side-by-side rows 210 of the wells 120.

[0089] Each of the multiple incubators 100 may include a coupling feature 170 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) that allows the incubator 100 to couple to another incubator 100 from the multiple incubators 100. For example, the coupling feature may include a hook and loop fastener, removable adhesive, and so forth.

[0090] In some embodiments, the multiple incubators 100 is physically coupled together magnetically. In some embodiments, each of the multiple incubators 100 may include a magnet 175 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) disposed within the housing 105 (shown in FIG. 1). In some embodiments, the side portion 112 (shown in FIG. 1) of each of the multiple incubators 100 may include the magnet 175. In some embodiments, the side portion 112 of each of the multiple incubators 100 may be at least partially made from a magnetic material.

[0091] Each incubator 100 may include the processing device 160 (shown in FIG. 2). Further, each incubator 100 may include the power source connection 150 (shown in FIG. 5). Therefore, each incubator 100 may be independent from other incubators 100 from the multiple incubators 100. In some embodiments, the multiple incubators 100 is configured to be physically coupled together without electrically coupling. Each incubator 100 may therefore operate independently from the other incubators 100 and may be independently powered. In some embodiments, each incubator 100 does not communicate electrically with other incubator 100, such that an additional incubator 100 is added to the system 200 by coupling the additional incubator 100 to the plurality incubators 100 and connecting the additional incubator 100 to an external power source.

[0092] Therefore, the multiple incubators 100 may be detachably coupled together in a side- by-side configuration, thereby saving space. Further, the multiple incubators 100 may operate independently from each other, and detachably coupling the multiple incubators 100 may not compromise features and usability of each of the multiple incubators 100.

[0093] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing feature sizes, amounts, and physical properties used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified by the term “about”. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the foregoing specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by those skilled in the art utilizing the teachings disclosed herein.

[0094] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and / or equivalent implementations can be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is intended that this disclosure be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A biological indicator incubator, comprising: a base configured to support the biological indicator incubator on an external surface; multiple wells, wherein each well of the multiple wells is configured to receive and incubate a biological indicator; and a display spaced apart from the base and including multiple display portions for displaying information pertaining to the multiple wells, wherein each display portion of the multiple display portions are located adjacent a different one of the multiple wells and includes a graphical user interface configured to receive one or more user inputs.

2. The biological indicator incubator of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes at least one of capacitive touch, resistive touch, infrared touch, optical imaging touch, or a switch button.

3. The biological indicator incubator of claim 1, further comprising a side portion extending from the base, wherein the display is disposed on and coupled to the side portion opposite to the base, such that the display forms a top of the biological indicator incubator.

4. The biological indicator incubator of claim 1 , wherein the multiple display portions are spaced apart from each other, and wherein the display is inclined at an oblique angle with respect to the base, such that the multiple display portions are located at different vertical heights from the base.

5. The biological indicator incubator of claim 4, wherein the oblique angle is 15 degrees to 35 degrees.

6. The biological indicator incubator of claim 1, wherein the multiple wells are inclined to the base by a well angle from 85 degrees to 95 degrees.

7. The biological indicator incubator of claim 1, wherein the display includes a cover glass including at least one aperture extending through the cover glass, and wherein each aperture from the at least one aperture is aligned axially with a corresponding one of the multiple wells.

8. The biological indicator incubator of claim 1, wherein the multiple wells are located at different vertical heights with respect to each other.

9. The biological indicator incubator of claim 8, wherein the multiple wells are arranged in a step-wise configuration.

10. The biological indicator incubator of claim 8, wherein the multiple display portions are spaced apart from each other in one-to-one correspondence with the multiple wells, and wherein at least two display portions of the multiple display portions are located at different vertical heights with respect to each other.

11. The biological indicator incubator of claim 10, wherein each display portion of the multiple display portions is located at a same vertical height as a corresponding adjacent well from the multiple wells.

12. The biological indicator incubator of claim 10, wherein the multiple wells are arranged in a first column inclined obliquely to the base, and wherein the multiple display portions are arranged in a second column disposed adjacent to and parallel to the first column.

13. The biological indicator incubator of claim 1, wherein the information pertaining to the multiple wells is selected from the group consisting of a remaining time duration of incubation of the biological indicator, a result of a sterilization process of the biological indicator, and an error.

14. The biological indicator incubator of claim 1, wherein the display further includes at least one navigation arrow configured to receive user inputs.

15. The biological indicator incubator of claim 1, wherein the biological indicator incubator is one of multiple biological indicator incubators, wherein each biological indicator incubator from the multiple biological indicator incubators is a standalone unit, and wherein the multiple biological indicator incubators are configured to be detachably coupled together.

16. The biological indicator incubator of claim 17, wherein the multiple biological indicator incubators are configured to be detachably coupled together in a side-by-side configuration, such that:the bases of the multiple biological indicator incubators are located at a same first vertical position; and the displays of the multiple biological indicator incubators are located at a same second vertical position.

17. A biological indicator incubator comprising: a base configured to support the biological indicator incubator on an external surface; a display spaced apart from the base; and multiple wells, comprising: a first well located a first vertical height from the base; and a second well located at a second vertical height from the base, wherein each well of the multiple wells is configured to at least partially receive therein and incubate a biological indicator.

18. The biological indicator incubator of claim 19, wherein the multiple wells are arranged in a step-wise configuration.

19. The biological indicator incubator of claim 19, wherein the display includes multiple display portions spaced apart from each other, and wherein each display portion from the multiple display portions is designated for displaying information pertaining to a corresponding well from the multiple wells, the corresponding well being disposed adjacent to the display portion.

20. The biological indicator incubator of claim 21, wherein at least two display portions from the multiple display portions are located at different vertical heights from the base.

21. The biological indicator incubator of claim 21, wherein the information pertaining to the corresponding well includes at least one of a remaining time duration of incubation of the biological indicator, a result of a sterilization process of the biological indicator, and an error.

22. The biological indicator incubator of claim 21, wherein the display is inclined at an oblique angle with respect to the base, such that the multiple display portions are located at different vertical heights from the base.

23. The biological indicator incubator of claim 24, wherein the oblique angle is from 15 degrees to 35 degrees.

24. The biological indicator incubator of claim 21, wherein each display portion includes a graphical user interface that is configured to receive one or more user inputs.

25. The biological indicator incubator of claim 26, wherein the graphical user interface includes at least one of capacitive touch, resistive touch, infrared touch, optical imaging touch, and a switch button.

26. The biological indicator incubator of claim 21, wherein the display further includes at least one navigation arrow configured to receive user inputs.

27. The biological indicator incubator of claim 21, wherein the multiple wells is arranged in a first column inclined obliquely to the base, and wherein the multiple display portions are arranged in a second column disposed adjacent to and parallel to the first column.

28. The biological indicator incubator of claim 19, wherein each well is inclined to the base by a well angle from 85 degrees to 95 degrees.

29. The biological indicator incubator of claim 19, wherein display includes a cover glass including multiple apertures extending through the cover glass, and wherein each aperture from the multiple apertures is aligned axially with a corresponding well from the multiple wells.

30. The biological indicator incubator of claim 19, further comprising a side portion extending from the base, wherein the display is disposed on and coupled to the side portion opposite to the base, such that the display forms a top of the biological indicator incubator.

31. The biological indicator incubator of claim 19, wherein the biological indicator incubator is one of multiple biological indicator incubators, wherein each biological indicator incubator from the multiple biological indicator incubators is a standalone unit, and wherein the multiple biological indicator incubators is configured to be detachably coupled together.

32. The biological indicator incubator of claim 33, wherein the multiple biological indicator incubators is configured to be detachably coupled together in a side-by-side configuration, such that: the bases of the multiple biological indicator incubators are located at a same vertical position; the first well of each biological indicator incubator aligns laterally with the first well of an adjacent biological indicator incubator from the multiple biological indicator incubators; and the second well of each biological indicator incubator aligns laterally with the second well of the adjacent biological indicator incubator.

33. A biological indicator incubator system comprising: multiple biological indicator incubators, wherein each biological indicator incubator from the multiple biological indicator incubators includes: a processing device; a base configured to support the biological indicator incubator on an external surface; a display spaced apart from the base; and multiple wells, wherein each well from the multiple wells is configured to at least partially receive therein and incubate a biological indicator; wherein the multiple biological indicator incubators are configured to be detachably coupled together, and each biological indicator incubator from the multiple biological indicator incubators is a standalone unit, and each biological indicator incubator further includes a power source connection.

34. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 35, wherein the multiple biological indicator incubators are physically coupled together magnetically.

35. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 35, wherein the multiple biological indicator incubators is configured to be detachably coupled together in a side-by-side configuration.

36. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 35, wherein each biological indicator incubator has a footprint that is a projection of the biological indicator incubator in a plane of the base, and wherein the footprint is from 70 cm2to 200 cm2.

37. The biological indicator incubator of claim 35, wherein each biological indicator incubator does not communicate electrically with other biological indicator incubator, such that an additional biological indicator incubator is added to the biological indicator incubator system by: coupling the additional biological indicator incubator to the multiple biological indicator incubators; and connecting the additional biological indicator incubator to an external power source.

38. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 35, wherein the multiple biological indicator incubators are configured to be physically coupled together without electrically coupling.

39. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 35, wherein each biological indicator incubator includes a housing including the base, wherein the processing device and the multiple wells are located in the housing, and wherein the display forms a top of the housing.

40. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 35, wherein at least two wells from the multiple wells are located at different vertical heights with respect to one another.

41. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 35, wherein the display includes multiple display portions spaced apart from each other and in one-to-one correspondence with the multiple wells, and wherein each display portion from the multiple display portions is designated for displaying information pertaining to a corresponding well from the multiple wells, the corresponding well being disposed adjacent to the display portion.

42. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 43, wherein at least two display portions from the multiple display portions are located at different vertical heights with respect to each other.

43. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 43, wherein each display portion is located at a same vertical height as the corresponding well.

44. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 43, wherein the display is inclined at an oblique angle with respect to the base, such that the multiple display portions are located at different vertical heights from the base.

45. The biological indicator incubator system of claim 43, wherein the multiple wells is arranged in a column, and wherein the multiple biological indicator incubators is detachably coupled together, such that the biological indicator incubator system includes multiple side-by-side rows of wells.

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