Sample Collection Valve Assembly for Preserved Biological Samples
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing biological sample collection systems require specialized personnel and controlled environments, making it inconvenient for untrained individuals to collect and preserve samples effectively, especially in geographically diverse areas, and often result in errors due to lack of technical training and access to necessary equipment.
Innovation Solution
A biological sample collection system comprising a sample collection vessel with a selectively movable valve or plug assembly and a sealing cap containing a reagent chamber, which allows for the release of preservation reagents into the sample collection vessel upon association, simplifying the process and enabling effective preservation without the need for specialized personnel or equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If specialized equipment and controlled laboratory conditions are used for sample collection, then sample preservation quality is improved, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the sample collection device into separate functional components: a collection tube, a sealing cap, and a preservation reagent container. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently while maintaining overall system simplicity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The preservation reagent is pre-loaded into the sealing cap before sample collection. When the cap is attached to the collection tube, the reagent is automatically dispensed into the sample. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex preservation equipment during sample collection and ensures consistent preservation quality.
2Reliability
If controlled laboratory environments are required for sample collection, then sample integrity is improved, but ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables untrained individuals to collect and preserve samples independently without requiring laboratory personnel or controlled environments. The self-contained design with pre-loaded reagents and simple attachment mechanisms allows users to perform the entire collection process themselves, maintaining sample integrity while dramatically improving ease of operation.
3Ease of operation
If preservation reagents are pre-loaded in the sealing cap, then operational simplicity is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is divided into separate steps: producing the collection tube, producing the sealing cap with integrated reagent container, and finally assembling them together. This segmentation of manufacturing allows each component to be produced using standard techniques, reducing overall manufacturing complexity despite the advanced functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The preservation reagent container is nested within the sealing cap structure. This nested design allows the reagent to be pre-loaded during cap manufacturing without requiring separate complex assembly steps, thereby improving operational simplicity while keeping manufacturing relatively simple.
4Adaptability or versatility
If untrained individuals collect samples, then geographic reach is improved, but measurement precision decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to be used by untrained individuals in remote locations without requiring specialized knowledge or skills. The automated reagent dispensing and simple collection process eliminate variables that could affect sampling accuracy, allowing untrained users to achieve consistent, precise results regardless of location.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters from requiring trained personnel to accepting untrained users. By automating the preservation reagent dispensing and simplifying the collection process, the system maintains high sampling accuracy while expanding accessibility to untrained individuals in geographically diverse areas.
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 system allows unskilled users to collect and preserve biological samples accurately, reducing errors and costs, and increases the geographic reach of sample collection areas by eliminating the need for controlled environments and specialized personnel, while maintaining the integrity of the samples for diagnostic and scientific analysis.
Implementation Method 1
the selectively movable valve or plug assembly can move from a first configuration, in which the fluid vent is sealed, to a second configuration, in which the fluid vent is unsealed
Implementation Method 2
permitting sample preservation reagent to pass from the regent chamber to the sample collection vessel
Data Source
AI summary
A biological sample collection system includes (i) a sample collection vessel having an opening for receiving a biological sample, (ii) a selectively movable valve comprising a core and a collar disposed about the core, and (iii) a sealing cap coupled to the collar and including a reagent chamber for storing a measure of sample preservation reagent. The sealing cap is configured to associate and form a fluid tight connection with the sample collection vessel. Associating the sealing cap with the sample collection vessel causes a physical rearrangement of the core relative to the collar such that a fluid vent associated with the core is placed into fluid communication with the reagent chamber, thereby permitting sample preservation reagent to pass from the regent chamber to the sample collection vessel.