Nutrient Medium Unit With Adhesive Lid For Filter Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nutrient medium units for microbiological analysis require complex filtration devices and additional tools or steps to insert filters, leading to increased costs and labor, and often result in filters being permanently bonded, making further filtration impossible during incubation.
Innovation Solution
A nutrient medium unit with a lid featuring a protruding fixing edge that forms an adhesive bond with the filter, allowing for simple and cost-effective filter insertion and removal without additional tools, using a reversible adhesive layer that maintains strength during incubation and dissolves with moisture, enabling easy filter retrieval after analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed connection between the pouring funnel and membrane filter is used, then the filtration device is stable, but the dead volume increases and additional handling steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration device is divided into separable components: the pouring funnel can be detached from the membrane filter assembly. This segmentation allows the membrane filter to be positioned close to the nutrient medium without requiring a permanent connection, thereby reducing dead volume while maintaining operational stability through controlled positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the pouring funnel and membrane filter is made dynamic rather than fixed. The membrane filter can be positioned and secured in a flexible manner, allowing optimization of the distance to the nutrient medium. This dynamic positioning reduces dead volume while maintaining sufficient stability for the filtration and incubation process.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the filter is permanently bonded to the lower part of the device, then the filter remains in place during incubation, but the device complexity increases and further filtration is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane filter is merged with the lid of the nutrient medium container through direct adhesion. This combining eliminates the need for separate fixation mechanisms or multiple components. The filter becomes an integrated part of the closed system, maintaining stability during incubation while keeping the device design simple and allowing the lower part to be reused for subsequent filtrations.
3Ease of operation
If a special removal ring is used to remove the membrane filter, then the filter can be laid down in the nutrient medium, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane filter is designed to be directly adherable to the lid without requiring special removal rings or additional tools. The filter's own properties (flexibility, adhesion capability) enable it to be transferred and secured manually. This self-service approach eliminates the need for specialized equipment while maintaining ease of operation for filter transfer and positioning.
4Reliability
If the pouring funnel and membrane carrier are fixed together, then the filtration structure is stable, but additional handling steps are required to position the filter
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane filter is extracted from the pouring funnel assembly and directly adhered to the lid. This separation eliminates the need for additional handling steps to transfer the filter from the funnel to the nutrient medium. The filter is positioned in its final location during the assembly process itself, reducing handling time while maintaining structural stability through direct adhesion to the lid.
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
Enables straightforward and cost-effective filter handling and analysis by allowing filter insertion and retrieval without additional tools, reducing complexity and maintaining filter integrity for microbiological analysis, while avoiding air bubbles and ensuring proper growth conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a fixing edge arranged in the lid can be connected to a filter by an edge of the filter via an adhesive bond
Implementation Method 2
A water-soluble compound layer applied to the fixing edge of the lid is dissolved, and the lid can be released from the filter again after an incubation
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a nutrient medium unit for holding a filter of a filtration device, comprising a lower part that is filled with the nutrient medium and a lid, the latter having a fixing edge that protrudes into the lower part and that can be connected to an edge of the filter by means of an adhesive bond in order to remove said filter from the filtration device. The invention also relates to a method for the microbiological analysis of liquid samples, according to which a membrane filter is lifted off a filter support and laid on the surface of a nutrient medium that is situated in a lower part of a nutrient medium unit. The lower part is then covered by a lid, the latter being placed on the membrane filter lying on the filter support in such a way that a fixing edge located in the lid is connected to an edge of the filter by means of an adhesive bond. The lid and the attached filter are lifted off the filter support and placed on the dish-shaped lower part of the nutrient medium unit.