Pipette Tip Holder Segregation for Cross-Contamination Reduction

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional pipette tip holders fail to prevent cross-contamination between tips and do not accommodate multiple volumetric sizes of pipette tips, leading to inefficiencies in automated pipetting machines.

Innovation Solution

A pipette tip holder with a container and vertical dividers that segregate tips into compartments, along with a removable lid member with apertures of varying sizes to support multiple tip sizes, reducing fluid contact and allowing for easy fabrication and reuse.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If used tips are placed next to unused tips in conventional tip boxes, then tip reuse is enabled and separate waste containers are eliminated, but cross-contamination between tips occurs through direct fluid transfer or splashing

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetip reuse efficiencyVSAvoidcross-contamination risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The tip box is divided into multiple segregated compartments using vertical dividers, with each compartment designed to hold tips of a specific volumetric size. This segmentation physically isolates tips from different usage contexts, preventing cross-contamination while enabling efficient tip reuse within each compartment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Device complexity

If conventional tip boxes accommodate only one volumetric size of pipette tip, then the structure is simple, but two different tip box types are required when different tip sizes are needed, consuming valuable working area space

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetip box structure simplicityVSAvoidworking area space consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The tip box is designed with multiple compartments that can accommodate different volumetric sizes of pipette tips simultaneously. Each compartment is configured to hold a specific tip size, allowing a single universal tip box to replace multiple specialized tip boxes, thereby reducing the number of tip box types needed and optimizing working area utilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If multiple tip sizes are accommodated in separate tip boxes, then each tip size has dedicated storage, but the number of tip box types increases and working area space is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetip size-specific storage accuracyVSAvoidworking area space

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The tip box is divided into multiple segregated compartments using vertical dividers, with each compartment designed to hold tips of a specific volumetric size. This segmentation physically isolates tips from different usage contexts, preventing cross-contamination while enabling efficient tip reuse within each compartment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The tip box is designed with multiple compartments that can accommodate different volumetric sizes of pipette tips simultaneously. Each compartment is configured to hold a specific tip size, allowing a single universal tip box to replace multiple specialized tip boxes, thereby reducing the number of tip box types needed and optimizing working area utilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS8409873B2Method of pipetting using a pipette tip holder

Publication Date: 2013.04.02 STEMCELL TECHNOLOGIES INC

AI summary

A method of pipetting comprises (a) providing a pipette tip holder having a plurality of segregated compartments and a tip support member for supporting a plurality of pipette tips in the pipette tip holder, the tip support member configured to support a single pipette in tip each segregated compartment; (b providing a plurality of pipette tips in the tip support member; (c) removing a first pipette tip from a first segregated compartment; (d) using the first pipette tip to complete a pipetting operation and placing the first pipette tip into a segregated compartment that has not contained a used pipette tip; (e) subsequently removing the first pipette tip from the segregated compartment and using the first pipette tip to complete another pipetting operation; and, (f) replacing the first pipette tip into the pipette tip holder, whereby the first pipette tip, when placed in the segregated compartment, is segregated in the pipette tip holder to reduce the possibility of a fluid from the first pipette tip contacting other pipette tips in the pipette tip holder.