MXPA96001792A - Matrix of tej cultivation - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laboratory flask comprising: a flask body having a generally flat bottom wall and front, rear and side walls extending upwards, which limit the bottom wall, 0 and a generally covering surface flat, upper, parallel to the lower wall, enclosing the flask body and defining a flask interior, the front wall includes a generally circular opening therethrough, which provides access to the interior of the flask, a hollow annular neck , elongated, extending outwardly therefrom, the neck having uniform inner and outer cylindrical wall surfaces, extending a portion of the inner cylindrical wall surface of the annular neck placed in a raised position above a portion of the surface of the flask body cover, and the neck further includes a filling wall depending on which extends from the internal cylindrical wall A the same, adjacent to the front wall opening, the filling wall filling the space that would exist otherwise between the internal cylindrical wall surface and the roof surface adjacent to the front wall, and the lower wall includes a rear extension of main planar portion which is generally rectangular and a front extension similar to an arc extending from the rear extension, the arc-like front extension having an arc cross section and a rounded crown

Description

TISSUE CULTIVATION MATRAZ 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to laboratory materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to improvements in flasks for developing cells, microorganisms and tissue in a culture medium.

BACKGROUND OF J-A INVENTION Tissue culture flasks are widely used in the laboratory for many purposes. Typically, these flasks are used to grow microorganisms or tissues in a culture dish or agar that adheres to an interior surface of the flask. The tissues are introduced into the flask through a covered opening. The flask is recapped and inserted into a stacking facility or chamber, such as a furnace to facilitate the growth of microorganisms in the medium. In laboratory practice, it is very common to arrange or stack different tissue culture flasks. in a single camera. In this way, the size of the individual flasks is made of the same as it is desirable to place as many flasks as possible in a single chamber. Another point of interest in constructing tissue culture flasks is the volume within the flask that is available for accommodating both the culture medium as well as the tissue. In order to improve the stacking ability of the flasks or flosses in the chamber, many tissue culture flasks are generally rectangular, flat receivers having an opening neck in an end wall that allows access to the interior. of the bottle. The culture medium adheres to the lower wall of the bottle. The bottle can be lowered with tissue culture medium to a level approaching the bottom of the neck or opening. In this way, the usable volume of the bottle is determined by the vertical distance between the bottom wall of the bottle and the opening of the bottle, since the culture medium and the tissue can not extend above the opening of the bottle. While the spacing of the opening from the bottom side of the bottle will increase the usable volume of the bottle, the total size (stacked height) of the bottle increases. This reduces the number of bottles that can be stacked in a camera. Efforts to decrease the size of the opening, in order to increase the usable volume, result in limiting the accessibility of the entire lower wall of the bottle since said access is through the opening. Frequently, in certain situations, it is necessary to have access to the tissue growing in the middle in the lower wall of the bottle. It is desirable for the user to have access to the entire bottom surface of the frasc including the corners, with a raptor, pipette or other instrument. Decreasing the size of the opening severely restricts the area of the lower wall that can be accessed through it. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a tissue culture flask or flask having a sufficiently large opening so as to allow access to the entire lower surface thereof without decreasing the usable volume or increasing the stacked height of the flask.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an improved laboratory flask or flask for the cultivation of micro organisms, cells and tissues. A further object of the present invention is to provide a tissue culture bottle that allows access to the interior of the bottle through an opening therein. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a tissue culture flask or flask with minimal stacked height that maximizes the usable volume for culture and tissue. The present invention provides a laboratory flask which includes a bottle body having a generally flat lower wall, front walls extending up, back and side which limit the bottom wall, and a generally flat roof surface that is parallel to the bottom wall to enclose the bottle body and define an interior of the bottle. The front wall of the bottle body includes a generally circular opening that provides access to the interior of the bottle. An elongated hollow annular neck extends outwardly from the front wall opening and has internal and external uniform cylindrical walls. A portion of the inner cylindrical wall of the annular neck is collocated on top of a portion of the flat cover surface. The neck also includes a dependent filling wall extending from the internal cylindrical wall. The filling wall fills the space that would otherwise exist between the inner cylindrical wall of the neck and the portion of the flat cover surface of the bottle body. As shown more particularly through the preferred embodiment herein, the lower wall of the bottle includes a ramp surface extending upwardly between the front wall and a main planar portion of the lower wall. The ramp surface serves to maintain the medium of tissue and tissues on the main portion of the lower wall. The ramp surface may be transversely concave with respect to the interior of the bottle to ensure that the medium and tissue are returned centrally to the lower wall of the fraco. In addition, the back wall of the bottle is arched outward, forming a central hopper to provide a low collection point, so that the entire contents of the bottle can be separated with a pipette or other removal instrument.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a top perspective showing the flask or tissue culture flask of the present invention. Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the tissue culture flask or flask of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-section of tissue culture flask of Figure 1, taken through the lining 111 - 111 of the same. Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the tissue culture bottle of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a front elevation showing the tissue culture bottle of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a perspective showing a pair. of tissue culture flasks of the type shown in Figure 1, c located in vertically stacked relation. Figure 7 is a sectional view showing the tissue culture bottle of Figure 3, with a schematic illustration of the position of the neck portion. Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of an additional embodiment of the tissue culture bottle of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES With reference to the drawings, the present invention provides a flask or flask 10 of improved tissue culture that allows full access to the interior thereof without a reduction in the usable volume of the flask. Referring specifically to Figure 1, the bottle 10 of the present invention is a container of generally hexagonal configuration that can be formed of any suitable material, such as a transparent molded plastic, of polystyrene preference. The bottle 10 includes a lower planar wall 12 which is bounded perimetrically by a plurality of vertical side walls 13. The side walls 13 include a pair of generally parallel, elongated, spaced rear walls 14 and 15 which are expanded by a transverse rear wall 18. A front wall 20 extends parallel to the rear wall 18 and has a transverse extension that is smaller than the transverse extension of the lower wall 18. The side walls 13 further include a pair of spaced apart, forwardly spaced, forwardly extending walls 22 and 24 d from the rear walls 14 and 16, respectively. The front transition pieces 22 and 24 extend to the front wall 20 so that the side walls 13 completely enclose the lower wall 12 completely. The side walls 13 extend upward to a uniform height defining a flat open surface that is generally parallel to the bottom wall 12. A flat cover 26 is placed over the upper extensions of the side piles 13 to enclose the bottle 10 and to define a limited interior 28 of the bottle 10. In the present illustrative embodiment, the cover 26 is a removable flat member that can be placed on the upper extensions of the side walls. The cover 26 may be permanently bonded in non-removable form to the side walls 13 by any well-known bonding technique, such as for example, ultrasonic welding. It is further contemplated that the bottle 10 of the present invention may be constructed with the cover 26 formed as an integral part thereof. The particular configuration of the bottle 10 of the present invention which includes the provision and position of the front transition walls 22 and 24 eliminates the "blind" corners that would exist in the construction of a bottle of more conventional rectangular configuration. In this way, as is well known in the vial branch, such configuration of bottle 10 allows better access to the interior 28 of the fraco with a pipette or other laboratory instrument (not shown). In order to allow said access to the interior 28 of the skirt 10, the front wall 20 includes a neck 30 extended integrally therewith. The neck 30 is generally a member uniformly cylindrical having a first end 32 supported on the front wall 20 around a generally circular opening 34 g (Figure 5) formed therein. The neck 30 includes a second open end 36 opposite the first extrusion 32 and defines a central bore or passage 28 between the ends and in communication with the interior 28 of the bottle 10 through the opening 34. The central bore 38 is defined by an interior cylindrical wall 40 of the neck 30. The neck also includes an external wall 42, which in the preferred embodiment is externally threaded so as to accommodate a conventional internally threaded screw cap 31 for closing the portion 38 and sealing the interior 28 of the bottle 10. As shown, particularly in Figures 2 and 3 the neck 30 is disposed at an angle inclined outwardly with respect to the main plane of lower wall 12. The ascending incline of the neck 30 can be between 55 and 20 °, preferably approximately 7.5 °. The inclined angle toward the neck 30 serves two advantageous purposes. First, it facilitates access to the lower wall 12 with a pipette or other instrument inserted through the perforation 38 of the neck 30 Second, by depositing or removing microorganisms, tissues, cellules or other means into and out of the bottle 10, either of these materials which may inadvertently be deposited on the inner wall of the neck 30 will have a tendency to slip again into the interior 28 of the bottle 10. As more fully illustrated with further reference to Figure 4, the bottom wall 12 of the bottle 10 includes an adjacent main planar portion 48 and between the rear walls 16 and 1. The main planar portion 48 is generally planar extending parallel to the cover 26. The primary planar portion 48 has a generally rectangular rear extension 48a and an arc-like front extension 48b that includes a rib 48c rounded at the distal end of the cover. same Extending forwardly and upwardly from the forward extension 48b is a ramp wall 50. The ramp wall 50 is generally a curved tapered surface, which tapers from the front wall 20 (FIG. 3) down again toward the main planar portion 48. The ramp wall portion 50 includes a pair of side ramp portions 52 and 54 positioned between the front extension 48b and each of the front engagement walls 22 and 24 respectively. A front ramp portion 56 of the ramp wall 50 extends between the crown 48c and the front wall 20. The ramp wall 50 generally has a -configuration, as shown in Figure 1, which is generally curved in cross section. The ramp wall 50 may have a conical, parabolic or other curve configuration. Said co-configuration ensures that any tissues, microorganisms, gave me or the like that can be brought into contact with the ramp wall 50 adjacent the neck 40 flows back to the main planar portion 48 of the lower wall 12. As seen in Figure 1, the ramp wall 50 at the front end of the bottom wall 12 has a rounded concave configuration. The front end of the bottle 10 includes a multi-faceted skirt 60, depending thereon. The skirt 60 depends at a level which is coplanar with the lower wall 12 so that, as shown in Figure 1, the face 10 It can be flat. The skirt 60 serves to stabilize the bottle in said position. With further reference to Figure 5, a further particularity of the present invention is shown. The front wall 20 extends between the ramp wall 50 and the upper extension of the side walls 13 which limit the lower wall 12. In order to increase the pipette access to the full interior 28 of the wall 10, especially all the portions of the lower wall 12, it is desirable to construct the opening 34 in the front wall 20 and consequently, the perforation 38 in the neck 30 which be as big as possible. This allows a pipet to be freely manipulated from outside the frame 10 having access to the entire surface of the bottom wall 12. In use the lower wall 12, especially the main planar portion 48 thereof (Figure 4), is the surface that accommodates the culture medium that supports the growth of the tissues. For periodic test purposes, it may be necessary to remove tissue samples with a pipette or self-catheter. In this way, access to all portions of the lower wall is desirable. The culture medium that supports the growth of the tissues typically covers the entire major planar portion 48 of the lower wall 12. The medium can be drawn into the frame 10 to such a level that it begins to rise along the ramp wall 50. The theoretical limit at which the inside can be filled with culture medium and tissue is to the bottom of the beak 34. Any effort to fill the bottle further will result in material coming out of the opening 34 through the base 30. this way, it can be seen that any efforts to overhang the enlarged opening 34 in the front wall 20 in order to increase the pipette accessibility to the interior 28 of the fraco 10 will result in a reduction in the volume of the usable medium of the fraco 10. Raising the largeness opening out of the lower wall would result in the need to increase the size of the front wall 20 and thus the stack height of the bottle. Efforts to reduce the opening 34 in the front wall 30 in order to increase said usable volume result in limited access to the lower wall 12. The present invention provides the arrangement of the opening 34 and neck 30 in the front wall 20 in a position such that the opening size can be maximized, thereby increasing accessibility, without unduly limiting the usable volume of the bottle or increasing the height stacked. The opening 34 is provided in the front wall 20 in a position such that an upper portion of the circle defining the opening 34 extends above the upper extension of the side walls 13 of the bottle. As shown by the dotted lines A in Figures 3 and 5. In order to close the space that would otherwise exist between the upper portion 40a of the inner cylindrical net 40 and the cover 26, the inner wall 40 includes a wall 62 dependent filling. As shown in Figure 3, the filler wall 62 extends from the upper portion 40a of the inner wall 40 of the neck 30 adjacent the front wall 20. The full-load apr 62 allows the neck 30 to rise slightly above the level of the upper extension of the side walls 13 so that the lower extension 30a of the neck 30 is raised a sufficient distance above the bottom wall 12 , so as not to reduce the usable volume of the bottle. As shown in Figure 7, the neck 30 has an inside diameter of d. If the neck were to be placed in a conventional manner, extending from the front wall 20 below the upper extension of the side walls 13 (as represented by dotted lines), the usable volume of the ribs 10 would be determined by the height Sl between a lower extension 30a of the cylindrical wall of the neck 30 and the main planar portion 4 of the lower wall 12. By raising the neck 30 above the upper extent of the side walls 13 by using the filling wall 62, the distance between the lower 30a of the neck 30 and the main planar portion 48 of the lower wall 12 is increased to s2. This results in an increase in the usable volume of the bottle 10 without reducing the access opening thereto. additionally, while the present invention permits increased access without reduction in usable volume, it does so well without increasing the stacking height of the fraco 10. As shown in Figure 6, a plurality of bottles 10 is designed to be stacked one on top of the other. the other. The cover 26 may include a perimeter raised rim 26a to accommodate the vial located immediately above. The stacked height of each bottle 10 is dependent on the height of the side walls 13 that limit the lower wall 12. The placement of the neck 30 with respect to the front wall 20 allows the height of the front net to be maintained at a minimum height expansion. In this way, the total height of the bottle 10 is reduced to a minimum. Also, as the neck is formed to be uniformly cylindrical, the stacked height of two or more bottle 10 is reduced to a minimum in a similar manner. By minimizing the stacked height of the bottles 10, more bottles can be effectively accommodated in a given space within a chamber. A further feature of the present invention is shown in a further embodiment of Figure 8. The rear wall 16 can be modified to have a depression or central hopper 65 therein. Said hopper 65 provides a low point - when the bottle 10 stands upright on the rear wall 16. To stabilize the bottle in said position, a pair of spaced legs 70 is provided (Figure 2). When stopped in said position, the contents of the bottle 10 will have a tendency to accumulate in the hopper 65. Since the hopper 65 is centrally positioned with respect to the neck 30, the direct insertion of the pipette at this low point is facilitated. so that the complete contents of the bottle can be emptied, if desired. Various changes of the above structures described and shown to those experienced in the field will be evident. Accordingly, the particularly described scope of the invention is set forth in the following clauses.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS:

1. - A flask or laboratory flask comprising: a bottle body having a generally flat bottom wall and front walls extending upwards, backwards and laterally that limit the bottom wall and a flat, upper, flat roof surface; parallel to the lower wall enclosing the flask body and defining an interior of a flask or flask; the front wall including a generally circular opening therethrough that provides access to the interior of the bottle; an elongated, hollow annular neck extending outwardly from the fornant wall opening and in communication therewith, the neck having uniform internal and external cylindrical walls, a portion of the inner cylindrical wall of the annular neck being collocated in a raised position above a portion of the cover surface of the fraco body; and the neck further including a dependent filling wall extending from the internal cylindrical wall of the same adjacent to the forntal wall opening, the filling wall filling the space that would otherwise exist between the internal cylindrical wall and the surface of cover adjacent to the front net.

2. A flask or laboratory flask of claim 1, which also includes a lid, the lid being insurable on the annular neck to close the annular neck.

3. A laboratory flask or flask of claim 2, wherein the external cylindrical wall is externally screw-threaded to accommodate screw cap.

4. A flask or laboratory flask of claim 2, wherein the lower ap- per includes a flat main wall portion and an inclined ramp wall portion adjacent to the front wall; the ramp wall portion being inclined at an angle of approximately 159 from the main wall portion.

5. A flask or laboratory flask of claim 4, wherein the main wall portion includes a longitudinal extension and a transverse extension and, wherein the frortal web includes a transverse extension that is less than the transverse extension. of the main wall portion.

6. A laboratory flask or flask of claim 5, wherein the ramp wall portion has a transverse dimension that tapers inwardly from the transverse extension of the main wall portion to the transverse extension of the wall. front wall.

7. A flask or laboratory flask of claim 5, wherein the ramp wall portion is transversely concave with respect to the interior of the phrase.

8. A flask or laboratory flask of claim 5, wherein the rear wall includes a pair of rear wall extensions extending from opposite to the side walls in an upwardly arched form to define a centrally located toe placed along the back wall.

9. A flask or flask of culture of stackable fabric, which comrpenses: a bottle body; the bottle body being defined by a lower wall of tissue culture arrangement, generally planar; a peripheral wall that extends upwards around the lower wall and a generally flat upper wall placed on the upper extension of the side wall to enclose an interior of the bottle body; the side wall including an opening therethrough, the opening being spaced from the bottom wall at a distance defining the maximum height at which the interior of the frame can be filled with tissue culture; and an elongated hollow neck extending externally from the side wall around the opening, the neck defining a passage in communication with the opening, a passage portion being placed on top of the upper part of the side wall, so as to maximize the distance between the opening and the lower wall without increasing the stacked height of the bottle body.

10. A flask or flask of culture of stackable fabric of claim 8, further including a cap with rsoca screw internally; and wherein the annular neck is externally threaded with screw thread for screw accommodation of said cap. FABRIC CULTIVATION MATRAZ SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A flask or laboratory flask is designed for development of tissue, cells or microorganisms in a culture medium. The bottle includes a bottom wall that accommodates the culture medium. The interior of the bottle is accessible from an opening in a side wall through a neck that is exited outwardly therefrom. The neck of the bottle is raised above a flat upper surface of the bottle, in order to maximize the height between the neck and the r wall, thus alng an increase in the usable volume of the bottle. The inner wall of the neck includes a dependent filling wall that extends between the inner wall of the neck and the flat upper surface of the flask to fill a scatter that would otherwise exist between them. The bottle al the accommodation of a cap with a conventional screw thread to close the neck.