Conical Bottom Culture Flask for Direct Centrifugation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional culture flasks with flat bottoms hinder effective separation of cells from culture medium during centrifugation, leading to labor-intensive and contaminant-prone medium replacement processes, requiring multiple transfers and difficult cleaning of suction and centrifuge tubes.
Innovation Solution
A culture flask with a collecting recess at the bottom, designed to collect cells after centrifugation, and a corresponding adapter for direct use in a centrifuge, allowing for easy removal of used medium without transferring cells and medium multiple times, reducing contamination risks and simplifying the process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a conventional flat-bottomed culture flask is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but cells cannot be effectively collected after centrifugation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing the conventional flat bottom with a conical bottom structure. The conical shape creates a focal point at the apex where cells naturally collect after centrifugation, enabling effective cell separation from culture medium without requiring additional transfer steps to conical tubes.
2Productivity
If cells and culture medium are transferred to a conical centrifuge tube for centrifugation, then cells can be separated effectively, but the process becomes labor intensive and contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the culture flask and centrifuge tube functions into a single integrated container. The culture flask is designed with a conical bottom and includes a centrifugation adaptation structure that allows direct placement in centrifuges, eliminating the need for separate transfer to conical tubes while maintaining effective cell separation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The culture flask achieves multi-functionality by combining culture and centrifugation capabilities in one vessel. The flask can be used for cell culture, directly centrifuged for cell separation, and then used for medium replacement, serving multiple purposes that previously required separate containers and steps.
3Productivity
If multiple transfers between containers are performed, then cell separation can be achieved, but the risk of contamination and cell loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the centrifugation function directly into the culture flask, the patent eliminates intermediate transfer steps between containers. Cells remain in the same flask throughout the centrifugation process, significantly reducing contamination risk and cell loss associated with multiple transfers.
4Device complexity
If conventional culture flasks are used, then the design is simple, but direct use with centrifuge is not possible requiring additional adapters and tubes
Solution Approach 1:
The culture flask is designed with universal compatibility for centrifuge use by incorporating a centrifugation adaptation structure that allows direct placement in standard centrifuges. This maintains relative design simplicity while adding the versatile capability of direct centrifugation without requiring separate adapters or tubes.
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
Facilitates efficient cell collection and medium replacement by minimizing the risk of cell loss and contamination, reducing the need for multiple transfers and tube disposal, while enabling standard centrifuge use without special equipment.
Implementation Method 1
the culture flask is configured to contain a culture medium and adapted for centrifugation
Implementation Method 2
The at least one blocker, the inner surface of the flask body, and the two translucent planes form at least one gathering recess. The at least one blocker has a blocking surface facing toward the recess end. The blocking surface inclines toward the recess end, such that an opening of the gathering recess faces toward the recess end to trap and preserve cells moving from the recess end toward the flask opening when the user removes the culture medium by tilting
Data Source
AI summary
A culture flask has a flask body. The flask body has two translucent planes, one opening end, one recess end and at least one collecting recess. Both translucent planes are located on the opposite ends of the flask body. A collecting recess is formed on the inner surface of the recess end, while the cross sectional area of the recess end gradually decreases toward the bottom of the collecting recess. By forming a collecting recess with decreased cross sectional area, culture cells can be collected inside the bottom after centrifugation, and therefore the user no longer has to transfer the culture cells and culture medium to a centrifuge tube when replacing culture medium. Consumption of suction tube and centrifuge tube can be avoided, the time to replace the culture medium is reduced, and also the risk of contamination when replacing the culture medium is reduced.