Laboratory Cassette Stack With Double Wall Labeling And Lid Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cassette stacks for laboratory analysis are cumbersome to handle and require unnecessary fastening to a common strand, complicating insertion into printer shafts or cassette magazines, and often compromise the integrity of the samples due to inadequate closure mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
The cassette stack design features a rectangular base with a double wall side for labeling, a common strand passing through an opening between inner and outer walls, and a resistance element at the bottom, allowing the stack to be held together without additional fastening. The cassettes have second and third openings for lid tabs, enabling guided pivoting and secure closure without protruding elements, and a latching mechanism for secure, repeatable opening and closing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If cassettes are connected to the common strand by adhesives or individual welds, then the connection between cassettes and strand is strengthened, but the device complexity and handling difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fastening function from the strand-cassette interface and relocates it to the lid-cassette interface. The strand only needs to pass through openings in the base, while the lid's locking mechanism provides the secure connection. This separation simplifies the strand's role to merely holding cassettes together in the stack without requiring complex fastening methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid's locking mechanism automatically secures the cassette when closed, providing self-service fastening. The locking element engages with the locking section to create a positive connection that holds the lid securely to the base without requiring external fastening of the cassette to the strand.
2Ease of operation
If the opening for the strand is located in the area of the side wall with the printable labeling field, then the strand can pass through the cassette, but the labeling field is compromised or obscured
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall is segmented into a double wall structure with an inner wall and an outer wall. The opening for the strand passes through both walls, creating a through-opening that allows strand insertion while preserving the integrity and visibility of the labeling field on the outer wall surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening is positioned in the thickness dimension of the double wall rather than on the surface plane where the labeling field resides. This dimensional separation allows the strand to pass through the wall structure without obscuring or compromising the labeling field area on the outer surface.
3Reliability
If the lid is secured to the cassette with a positive locking connection, then sample protection is improved, but the ease of opening and closing is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to be dynamically controllable - the locking element can be easily actuated to engage or disengage from the locking section. This allows the lid to be securely locked when closed to protect samples, while remaining easily openable when needed for sample insertion or removal.
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
This design simplifies handling and insertion, protects the samples from contamination, and allows for easy separation of cassettes after use, enhancing laboratory workflow efficiency and sample integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the strand has a resistance element under the lowest cassette of the cassette stack
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3a~4b
Figure 4c~5c
AI summary
A cassette stack consisting of individual cassettes (2) is proposed, preferably for holding preparations for laboratory analyses, wherein the individual cassettes (2) each have a rectangular base (3) and four side walls, one of which a first side wall (4a) is a double wall (5) and has a printable labeling field (6), wherein all cassettes (2) are provided with a first opening (7) through which a common strand passes to hold the cassettes (2) together in stack form, wherein the first opening (7) is formed between an inner wall (5a) and an outer wall (5b) of the double wall (5) having the printable labeling field (6), and wherein the strand has a resistance element under the lowest cassette (2) of the cassette stack.To improve the handling of the cassette stack, particularly during work preparation in a laboratory setting, a second and third opening (11, 12) are formed between the inner wall (5a) and the outer wall (5b) of the double wall (5). Each of these openings receives a tab (13a, 13b) molded onto a lid (10) and guides it during a pivoting movement of the lid (10). A locking section (17a) is formed on the second side wall (4b) opposite the double wall (5), and a locking element (14a) is formed on the lid (10). This locking element engages the locking section (17a) to create a positive connection between the lid (10) and the cassette (2).