Autoclaveable Plastic Tray for Microorganism Sampling Tubes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing microorganism sampling tubes with slanted culture media require multiple trays, leading to inefficiencies in production, handling, and shipping due to loose fits, weight issues, and incomplete sterilization, which can result in damaged tubes and non-uniform slant and butt measurements.
Innovation Solution
A single, autoclaveable plastic tray with tapered wells and support ribs that securely hold sample tubes in either horizontal or slanted configurations, allowing for streamlined production, sterilization, and shipping, while maintaining uniform slant and butt measurements, and facilitating robotic loading and nesting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal tray is used in autoclaves, then the tray can withstand high heat and pressure, but the heating and cooling cycles become longer and the tray weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to autoclaveable plastic, which has different thermal properties that allow for faster heating and cooling cycles while still withstanding autoclave conditions. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by finding a material that balances thermal tolerance with thermal conductivity for efficient cycling.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic tray incorporates design features such as support ribs and leg structures that provide mechanical strength comparable to metal, creating a composite-like solution that combines the advantages of plastic (lightweight, fast thermal cycling) with the structural requirements of metal trays.
2Strength
If a metal tray is used in autoclaves, then the tray is rugged and durable, but the tray weight increases limiting tray size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to plastic, fundamentally altering the weight-to-strength ratio. The plastic material provides sufficient strength for autoclave applications while being significantly lighter, enabling larger tray sizes without exceeding weight limitations.
Solution Approach 2:
The tray design incorporates structural elements such as support ribs and leg structures that segment the tray into reinforcing components, providing localized strength where needed while maintaining overall lightweight construction. This segmentation allows the tray to achieve metal-like durability without the weight penalty.
3Productivity
If a lighter weight tray with greater tube capacity is used, then shipping costs decrease and productivity increases, but additional trays are required for the production process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal autoclaveable plastic tray that can serve multiple functions throughout the entire production process - from initial filling and capping through autoclaving, cooling, and final shipping. This multi-functional tray eliminates the need for multiple specialized trays, resolving the contradiction between productivity gains and process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of multiple separate trays (filling tray, autoclave tray, shipping tray) into a single integrated autoclaveable plastic tray. This consolidation eliminates the detraying steps and reduces the number of handling operations, achieving both productivity improvement and process simplification simultaneously.
4Weight of moving object
If prior art shipping trays are used, then the trays are lightweight for shipping, but the sample tubes do not fit securely and may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating wells with specific geometric features (legs, support ribs, tapered designs) in strategic locations within the tray. These localized structural features provide secure tube holding in the areas where tubes are placed, while the overall tray remains lightweight for shipping. The well design ensures tubes are held firmly during autoclaving and shipping without requiring heavy materials throughout the entire tray.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables efficient handling and sterilization of sample tubes with consistent slant and butt measurements, reducing labor and shipping costs, and ensuring proper sterilization and cooling, while allowing the same tray to be used from production to end-user applications.
Implementation Method 1
An autoclave sterilizes the rack and packaging tray holding the tubes filled with culture growth media. The autoclave process includes a sterilization (heating) cycle as well as a cooling cycle
Implementation Method 2
The autoclave process includes a sterilization (heating) cycle as well as a cooling cycle, the two cycles together being referred to hereinafter as the autoclave cycle
Implementation Method 3
each well comprising a plurality of legs, a support rib extending downwardly along the inside of each leg to firmly hold the sample tube in place
Implementation Method 4
The rack is slanted at a predetermined slant angle and the autoclaveable packaging tray is placed onto the slanted rack, the rack maintaining the autoclaveable packaging tray in a position that slants the culture media at a predetermined slant angle within the tubes
Data Source
AI summary
A method of making sampling tubes containing culture growth media by loading the sample tubes containing culture media into a tray that holds the sample tubes, placing the sample tube trays into a rack with shelving to hold the trays and tubes at a predetermined angle, and sterilizing and cooling the sample tubes in an autoclave or inspissator. The culture growth media solidifies at the predetermined slant angle and the sample tube trays are loaded into the packaging box used for shipment. The trays are subsequently used by the end user for processing microbial growth, including storing and collecting data about microbial samples.