Assay Sample Card Hinge Mechanism for Thin Plate Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sample holders for biological and chemical assays are difficult to separate when stacked, especially with thin plates, making it challenging to load samples without both hands and are costly to produce.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates angle self-maintaining hinges, notches on the edges, and recessed edges to facilitate easy separation and handling of thin plates, allowing for one-handed operation and low-cost manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If two plates are stacked together before sample deposition, then the sample holder is compact and easy to store, but the plates become hard to separate by hand especially when one or both plates are very thin
Solution Approach 1:
The sample holder is divided into two separate plates that can be stacked together for compact storage but easily separated when needed. The segmentation allows the plates to be compact when stacked yet simple to separate due to their independent nature and the absence of complex fastening mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
A hinge mechanism is introduced as an intermediary element that connects the two plates. The hinge acts as a mediator that allows the plates to be stacked together for compactness while enabling easy separation through simple rotational movement, solving the contradiction between compact storage and ease of separation.
2Ease of operation
If one hand is used to deposit sample and another hand to hold both plates, then sample loading is possible, but the operation becomes very difficult requiring two hands
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism merges the holding function and the opening/closing function into a single integrated structure. This allows one hand to simultaneously hold the hinge while the other hand deposits the sample, eliminating the need for two hands to separately hold the plates and deposit the sample.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism provides self-service by automatically maintaining the angular relationship between plates and enabling easy opening and closing through simple rotational movement. This self-maintaining mechanism reduces the complexity of handling and allows one-handed operation for sample loading.
3Ease of manufacture
If plates are made very thin to reduce size and cost, then manufacturing cost decreases and size is reduced, but the plates become harder to handle by hand
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge acts as an intermediary that provides structural support and handling advantage for thin plates. It allows the thin plates to be easily manipulated, opened, and closed while maintaining their thin profile, thus preserving the cost and size benefits without sacrificing ease of handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism is designed to work with thin plate structures, providing flexibility and ease of manipulation. The hinge allows the thin plates to be bent and moved easily while maintaining their thin profile, making them handleable despite their reduced thickness.
4Area of stationary object
If plates are made small in area size to reduce cost and improve compactness, then the sample holder becomes more compact and cost-effective, but it becomes not easy to handle by hands
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge serves as an intermediary that extends the effective handling area for small plates. It provides a leverage point that allows hands to easily manipulate small plates despite their reduced size, maintaining ease of handling while preserving compactness and cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge introduces a third dimension (rotational movement) that compensates for the reduced area size of the plates. This dimensional addition allows small plates to be easily handled through rotational manipulation, overcoming the limitation of their small surface area.
Data Source
AI summary
Among other things, the present invention is related to devices and methods of sample holders that facilitate biological and chemical assays, and use of the same. Particularly, the present invention is related to an assay sample hold (also termed “card”) that comprises two plates that are movable relative to each other and that can sandwich a sample between the two plates. One objective of the present invention is to provide sample holders that are easy to separate them when the plates are stacked two plates, easy to handle by one hand while loading a sample, easy to fabricate, and/or low in cost. Another objective of the present invention is to ensure the two plates stay together when they are insert into a slot of an adaptor for analyzing the sample sandwiched between the two plates. The present invention offers particular advantages to simple and easy operation in the cases of (a) the plates' thickness very thin in down to 1 um (micron) thick (or both of the plates of ˜25 um thick), and (b) small plate area size which is not easy to handle by hands (e.g. the plate is a few cm long and wide).