Fluid Container Cover With Pierceable Membranes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing container covers for liquid handling processes in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and laboratory settings often fail to adequately prevent contamination during dispensing, aspirating, mixing, and separating of liquids, especially in automated systems.
Innovation Solution
A cover design featuring an essentially plane cover plate with at least two ports, each with a through channel, a fluid impermeable first membrane, and a gas permeable second membrane, along with an aspiration tube and a holding plate, which reduces the risk of contamination by allowing for liquid handling without removing the cover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional snap-on lids or screw caps are used for container closure, then the container can be sealed to prevent contamination, but the handling becomes difficult in liquid handling automation and may still include a risk of contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is divided into separate functional components: a cover plate with ports, membranes for fluid control, and an aspiration tube. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, enabling automated handling while maintaining contamination prevention through the sealed port design with pierceable membranes.
Solution Approach 2:
The pierceable membranes act as intermediaries between the external environment and the container interior. They allow automated pipette tips to pierce through and access the liquid while maintaining the sealed environment, thus enabling automated operation without compromising contamination prevention.
2Ease of operation
If the cover is removed for liquid handling operations, then access to the liquid is improved, but the risk of contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pierceable membranes are pre-configured in the ports to be pierced by automated pipette tips. This preliminary setup allows liquid handling operations to be performed through the sealed cover without removal, maintaining contamination prevention while enabling easy automated access to the liquid.
Solution Approach 2:
The membranes serve as intermediaries that can be selectively pierced by automated tips. This allows the cover to remain in place during liquid handling operations, providing both access for automation and continued protection against contamination through the intact membrane barrier.
3Reliability
If a sealed cover is used to prevent contamination, then sterility is improved, but the complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover design integrates multiple functions into a single device: the cover plate provides structural support and sealing, the ports with pierceable membranes enable selective access, and the aspiration tube facilitates liquid removal. This multi-functionality achieves sterility without proportionally increasing complexity, as each component serves multiple purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of thin, flexible pierceable membranes in the ports provides an effective seal that can be easily pierced by automated tips. These thin films maintain sterility while being simple in structure, avoiding the need for complex mechanical sealing systems.
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 cover effectively prevents contamination by allowing for fluid handling through pierceable membranes while maintaining a sealed environment, reducing the risk of carryover and improving sterility, especially in automated liquid handling processes.
Implementation Method 1
an at least gas permeable second membrane (3) is arranged over the entire cross section of the through channel of the second port (12)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3A
Figure 3B~4
AI summary
A cover (1) for a fluid container (4) comprising an essentially plane cover plate (10) for closing at least one opening of at least one fluid container (4) and at least two ports (11,12), wherein each port (11,12) comprises a trough channel (110,120) extending through the entire thickness of the cover plate (10), wherein a fluid impermeable first membrane (2) is arranged over the entire cross section of the through channel (110) of the first port (11) and wherein an at least gas permeable second membrane (3;30) is arranged over the entire cross section of the through channel (120) of the second port (12).