GB2043031A - Container and method for sampling - Google Patents
Container and method for sampling Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2043031A GB2043031A GB8004006A GB8004006A GB2043031A GB 2043031 A GB2043031 A GB 2043031A GB 8004006 A GB8004006 A GB 8004006A GB 8004006 A GB8004006 A GB 8004006A GB 2043031 A GB2043031 A GB 2043031A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- container
- handle
- combination according
- opening
- bag
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 238000005070 sampling Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 15
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims description 14
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 30
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 238000003466 welding Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 229920003023 plastic Polymers 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000004411 aluminium Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 2
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000008267 milk Substances 0.000 abstract description 13
- 210000004080 milk Anatomy 0.000 abstract description 13
- 235000013336 milk Nutrition 0.000 abstract description 13
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 abstract description 5
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 abstract description 4
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 3
- 229920000573 polyethylene Polymers 0.000 description 3
- 238000004659 sterilization and disinfection Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000012360 testing method Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000004743 Polypropylene Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000004793 Polystyrene Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000013590 bulk material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000012864 cross contamination Methods 0.000 description 2
- -1 polypropylene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 229920001155 polypropylene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 229920002223 polystyrene Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 229920000915 polyvinyl chloride Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000000243 solution Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 2
- IAYPIBMASNFSPL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Ethylene oxide Chemical compound C1CO1 IAYPIBMASNFSPL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 206010073306 Exposure to radiation Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 239000003242 anti bacterial agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229940088710 antibiotic agent Drugs 0.000 description 1
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000008364 bulk solution Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001066 destructive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007598 dipping method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000428 dust Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000008187 granular material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000012535 impurity Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000036512 infertility Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000002906 microbiologic effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004800 polyvinyl chloride Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000843 powder Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910001220 stainless steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010935 stainless steel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001954 sterilising effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N1/00—Sampling; Preparing specimens for investigation
- G01N1/02—Devices for withdrawing samples
- G01N1/10—Devices for withdrawing samples in the liquid or fluent state
- G01N1/12—Dippers; Dredgers
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
- G01N33/02—Food
- G01N33/04—Dairy products
Landscapes
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Biochemistry (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Immunology (AREA)
- Pathology (AREA)
- Sampling And Sample Adjustment (AREA)
Abstract
A sampler, e.g. for sampling milk from churns, comprises a sterile container sealed within a sterile bag, the container having a handle and having an opening adapted to be hermetically sealed. A sterile cap can be included in the bag. The handle can extend above the container opening in the manner of a ladle. The handle can be frangible so that the whole or part of it can be discarded after a sample has been taken. Risk of contamination to sample and bulk is reduced, and taking and storage of samples facilitated. <IMAGE>
Description
SPECIFICATION
Container and method for sampling
The present invention relates to a container and method for sampling a material.
Microbiological examination, chemical analysis and other examination of materials is required in a variety of manufacturing processes, supply industries and laboratory operations. It may either be carried out on a material or batch of materials on a routine basis or be a single test performed, for example, immediately before the material is used.
In one type of analysis a sample is withdrawn from the bulk material, supply line or the like, held in an appropriate container, transported elsewhere, if necessary, and the required tests carried out or parameters measured. In some industries the conventional practice is to use a ladle to withdraw the sample and pour the sample into a bottle which is then stoppered and sent elsewhere for analysis. When the material to be tested is held in a number of separate vessels, each of whose contents needs to be sampled, the problem arises of contamination of both the bulk solution and the sample by any impurities on the surface of the ladle and of cross-contamination due to any foreign material being transferred from one solution to another by the ladle.In the case of, for example, the milk industry a stainless steel ladle is used to extract a sample from each churn or other storage vessel or from bulk tankers, and is kept and cleaned between uses in a sterilising solution.
This method, despite its self evident disadvantages, has proved satisfactory in practice, as evidenced by long use and universal acceptance.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a container and method of sampling of bulk material which is more convenient and in at least some respects better and cheaper in use, and which is suitable for taking samples free from contamination.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a sterile container sealed within a sterile bag or other receptacle the container having a handle attached thereto and an opening adapted to be hermetically sealed.
Conveniently a cap adapted to seal the container's opening hermetically is provided in the said bag or other receptacle. It can however be kept under separate sterile conditions.
In use the bag or other receptacle is opened near to the container's handle and the container is withdrawn from the bag or other receptacle and dipped into the material to be sampled by a user holding the handle only. A cap can then be placed on the opening to provide a hermetic seal between the sample in the container and the ambient atmosphere.
The handle may be attached to the container by any appropriate means. It may either be integrally moulded with the container or be attached to the container once it is made. In the latter case the handle can be attached either permanently by welding, cementing or the like or detachably by means of a keying or snap fit between a part of the container and a part of the handle. In some circumstances it may be advantageous to provide a container having a handle which is removable either in all or in part. A handle removable in toto may be provided by either the keying or snap fit mentioned above and one removable in part by providing a handle made of a frangible material, so that it can be broken off at any appropriate point.
It may be desirable to remove the handle, or part of it, after the sample has been collected and the container sealed, so that the container need not take up an excessive amount of space and can be readily stored and transported. If appropriate, the container can then be used as the bottle in which the examination or analysis is performed. It may be especially convenient to be able to remove a part or all of the handle when for instance a relatively long handle is required to permit the container to be dipped into a particular vessel, or the handle extends laterally at an angle from the container to scoop up a sample of a dry material; removal of the handle or part of it then facilitates storage of the sealed container in an upright position.
The container can be made from any suitable material, for example a synthetic plastics material such as polystyrene, PVC, polypropylene or polythene. The handle is conveniently made of the same material as the container, for example in the form of plastics tubing which can be welded to an outer surface of the container: high frequency welding being appropriate for polystyrene and
PVC whilst hot plate welding can be used for polypropylene or polythene. The cross section of the tubing may be circular or oval, the latter being advantageous where rigidity is required in one direction, and frangibility in another direction across the tubing. A further example of a suitable material from which the container and handle can be made is light weight aluminium. If a frangible handle is required a portion of the handle can be weakened, e.g. perforated, at the point where a break is desirable.The cap may be made of any suitable material and type. If convenient it may be moulded integrally with the container and handle either with a hinge adjacent the opening or with a frangible portion attached to any part of the container or handle so that it can be torn off at an appropriate stage and placed over the opening.
The size and shape of the container and handle can be selected according to their intended use.
For instance; for sampling a material in the form of a liquid the handle conveniently extends above the level of the opening so that the container can be used in a ladle-like fashion, whilst for sampling a material in the form of a powder or granules or for collecting a sample of a liquid from a shallow layer of material the handle suitably projects laterally relative to the opening so that the container can be used in a scoop-like manner. The capacity of the container can depend on the amount of sample required, but can conveniently be between 10 mls and 500 mls. If the container is to be employed as the analysis bottle it can conveniently be equivalent to a standard sized sample bottle.
Once formed the container with handle attached, but either with or without a cap is placed in a bag or other receptacle. For ease of manufacture the container and handle may be made under non-sterile conditions and once within the bag or other receptacle, for example, a pouch, the whole assembly can be subjected to sterilisation. Appropriate methods of sterilisation include radiation after sealing of the container within the bag or other receptacle, and the use of ethylene oxide prior to sealing of the bag or other receptacle followed sealing whilst the contents remain sterile.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of sampling a material comprising the steps of:
(i) opening a bag or other receptacle which holds in sterile condition a container having a handle attached thereto;
(ii) removing the container from the bag or other receptacle by means of the handle;
(iii) taking up a sample of material in the container; and
(iv) hermetically sealing the container.
Preferably step (iv) includes placing a cap over an opening in the container. If desired the method includes a step of removing the handle either in all or in part once the sample has been taken up; if desired the handle together with the bag or other receptacle can then be discarded.
It will be appreciated that the term sterile when used in relation to the bag or other receptacle reefers to the condition of the interior thereof and when used in relation to the container refers to the entirety of the container. Moreover the term in question when used in relation to the cap refers at least to so much of it as is liable to come into contact with the sample when the cap closes the container, though of course when the cap is enclosed in common with a container in a bag or other receptacle, the term will refer to the entirety of the cap.
One embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a container suitable for use in sampling milk from a conventional milkchurn.
In the drawing a container 1 is in the form of a cylindrical bottle of a capacity of 250 mls and is made of a transparent clear synthetic plastics material. It has attached at one side by high frequency electric welding a long tubular handle 2 of the same material which extends above the level of a top opening 3 of the container. The container 1 is 10.5 cm high and the handle 2 is 35.5 cm in length for sampling milk from a conventional churn filled to the right level. An outer surface of the opening 3 includes a screw thread 4 which fits an inner screwthread on a cap 5. The end of the handle 2 remote from the container 1 is curved to provide a recurved portion 7 by which it can conveniently be held.The tubular handle 2 is attached to the container 1 along a portion 8 of its length adjacent the container's base 9 so that the handle can be bent away from the part 10 of the container adjacent the opening 3 so as to be clear of the screwthread 4. The weld along portion 8 is relatiVely weak so as to be readily frangible. The cap is made of metal (though of course it could be made of any other suitable material) and has a paper label (not shown) on its top surface to receive an identification mark.
The container 1, with handle attached, and the cap 5, separate from the container 1, are placed within a polythene bag 6. The bag 6 and its contents are then sterilised by exposure to radiation. Whilst subsequent handling of the bag may contaminate its outer surface, its interior and contents remain sterile. The whole assembly is supplied to a user in the form shown in the drawing.
In use the bag 6 is opened at the end 11 nearest the recurved portion 7 of the handle, the container 1 being removed from the bag 6 by means of the handle 2. A user, being careful not to touch the container (so as not to contaminate it), then lowers the container into a milk churn, collects a sample of milk by dipping the opening 3 beneath the surface of the milk, raises the container out of the milk churn, holds the container by its outer surface and screws the cap 5, extracted from the bag by contact with the outer surface of the cap only, on to the opening 3.
The bottle can now be wiped dry on its outer surface without risk of contamination of the sample. The tubular handle can be broken off at the portion 8 along the weld, i.e. at a point beneath the opening 3 for ease of storage and transportation. Alternatively the handle can be broken off after the container has been withdrawn from the milk churn and prior to screwing on the cap. The bottle can now be labelled by writing on the label.
The driver of a lorry which picks up milk churns from different locations would be supplied with a quantity of the assemblies described above. A new bag 6 would be opened for each churn sampled on his milk run so that each container 1 is used only once. All parts of the assembly which are intended to come into contact with the milk are sterile at the time they do so, and as the assembly is used once only contamination both of the bulk liquid left in the churn and of the sample held in the bottle are ruled out.
As an alternative to the embodiment described above the bag 6 could be larger and designed to hold more than one container 1 whilst, if desired the cap or caps 5 could be kept until wanted under sterile conditions separately from the container or containers.
The present invention thus provides a container which is sterile both inside and outside and which can be dipped directly into the material to be sampled. The use of a common ladle is thus obviated and the possibility of cross contamination between different bulk materials considerably reduced. The manufacture of the container and cap and their subsequent sterilisation can be carried out sufficiently cheaply that the disposal of each container and accompanying bag and cap after a single use is an economic proposition compared to, for example, the use of re-usable glass containers which must be cleaned and sterilised inside after each use. The intention of a single use for each container also permits the handle to be removed by a destructive method such as breaking.
Furthermore, sampling by use of the assembly described above is simple and convenient. It can be done more rapidly than by use of a ladle that has to be sterilised; the saving in a lorry driver's time can be an important consideration. And it is much safer in that it greatly lessens the risk of misuse such as failure to sterilise a ladle, which is a temptation to which a lorry driver anxious to save time might succumb.
The container of the present invention may be employed in a wide variety of industries and procedures. In addition to milk sampling exemplified above, other analytical uses where sampling is required include for example testing the dust content of a pure chemical, and in the field of antibiotics where sterility of equipment is essential.
Claims (20)
1. The combination of a sterile container sealed within a sterile bag or other receptacle, the container having a handle and an opening adapted to be hermetically sealed.
.
2. Combination according to claim 1 further comprising a cap adapted to seal the container's opening hermetically, the cap being provided in the said bag or other receptacle
3. Combination according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the handle is made part of the container by attaching it to the remainder of the container.
4. Combination according to claim 3 wherein the handle is attached permanently by welding.
5. Combination according to claim 3 wherein the handle is attached by means of a keying or snap fit.
6. Combination according to any preceding claim wherein the handle is removable from the remainder of the container.
7. Combination according to claim 6 wherein the handle is made of frangible material.
8. Combination according to claim 4 wherein the handle is made of the same material as the remainder of the container, the handle being of plastics tubing welded to an outer surface of the remainder of the container.
9. Combination according to claim 8 wherein the tubing is circular in section along the major part of its length and oval in section at a frangible portion thereof.
10. Combination according to any preceding claim wherein the container and its handle are made of light weight aluminium.
11. Combination according to claim 10 wherein a portion of the handle is weakened in a predetermined region, there to render it frangible.
12. Combination according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a cap is moulded integrally to the container with a connection enabling it to be placed over the opening to seal the container.
13. Combination according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein a cap is moulded integrally to the container with a frangible connection so that on being severed from the container it can be placed over the opening to seal the container.
14. Combination according to any preceding claim wherein the handle extends above the level of the opening so that the container can be used in the manner of a ladle.
1 5. Combination according to any of claims 1 to 1 3 wherein the handle projects laterally relative to the opening so that the container can be used in a scoop like manner.
1 6. The method of sampling material comprising the steps of:
(i) opening a bag or other receptacle which holds in sterile condition a container having a handle;
(ii) removing the container from the bag or other receptacle by means of the handle;
(iii) taking up a sample of material in the container; and
(iv) hermetically sealing the container.
17. Method according to claim 16 wherein step (iv) includes placing a cap over an opening in the container to seal it.
18. Method according to claim 16 or claim 17 including the step of removing the handle either in whole or in part from the remainder of the container after the sample has been taken up.
1 9. The combination of a sterile container sealed within a sterile bag or other receptacle substantially as shown in and hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
20. The method of sampling material substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8004006A GB2043031B (en) | 1979-02-15 | 1980-02-06 | Container and method for sampling |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB7905441 | 1979-02-15 | ||
| GB8004006A GB2043031B (en) | 1979-02-15 | 1980-02-06 | Container and method for sampling |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB2043031A true GB2043031A (en) | 1980-10-01 |
| GB2043031B GB2043031B (en) | 1983-06-15 |
Family
ID=26270586
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8004006A Expired GB2043031B (en) | 1979-02-15 | 1980-02-06 | Container and method for sampling |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2043031B (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2282713A (en) * | 1993-09-17 | 1995-04-12 | Hitachi Cable | Non-rewireable plug |
| GB2287234A (en) * | 1994-02-05 | 1995-09-13 | Bibby Sterilin Ltd | Sampling container with removable handle |
| FR2798909A1 (en) * | 1999-09-28 | 2001-03-30 | Raphael Georges Jean He Dumain | Anti-spill cap for container of valuable or hazardous liquid has flexible vanes opened by side press button to give access to inner scoop |
-
1980
- 1980-02-06 GB GB8004006A patent/GB2043031B/en not_active Expired
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2282713A (en) * | 1993-09-17 | 1995-04-12 | Hitachi Cable | Non-rewireable plug |
| GB2282713B (en) * | 1993-09-17 | 1997-12-10 | Hitachi Cable | Power supply plugs |
| GB2287234A (en) * | 1994-02-05 | 1995-09-13 | Bibby Sterilin Ltd | Sampling container with removable handle |
| FR2798909A1 (en) * | 1999-09-28 | 2001-03-30 | Raphael Georges Jean He Dumain | Anti-spill cap for container of valuable or hazardous liquid has flexible vanes opened by side press button to give access to inner scoop |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB2043031B (en) | 1983-06-15 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CA2245401C (en) | Collection container assembly | |
| EP0820812B1 (en) | A specimen collection assembly | |
| JP5265693B2 (en) | Multi-chamber tissue storage system for molecular and tissue diagnostics | |
| US20030053938A1 (en) | Liquid specimen collection container | |
| CA2243604C (en) | Liquid sample collection and transport system | |
| JP3279320B2 (en) | Liquid container | |
| US5221311A (en) | Evacuated sampling vial | |
| CA2245031C (en) | Collection container assembly | |
| US20190038264A1 (en) | Packaging and devices to access screw-top containers in automated systems | |
| EP1893740B1 (en) | Device for the withdrawal, collection and transport of biological specimens | |
| EP0420450B1 (en) | Collection and transportation device for microorganisms | |
| GB2043031A (en) | Container and method for sampling | |
| US20110308336A1 (en) | Methods and apparatus for specimen collection and transport | |
| US6682518B1 (en) | Injectable micro-glass vial | |
| EP2083951B1 (en) | Sampling tube | |
| CN114940475B (en) | Enclosing devices for cap openers, cap openers and equipment for removing caps | |
| US20090299305A1 (en) | Collection system for biological sample | |
| US3748099A (en) | Liquid handling device | |
| JPH01111657A (en) | Concentration preventive container | |
| CN1247601A (en) | Perforating analytical test device | |
| CN213376664U (en) | Solid-liquid separation device | |
| GB2287234A (en) | Sampling container with removable handle | |
| JP2927784B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for removing and handling biological fluids from thin-walled receptacles | |
| WO2024213826A1 (en) | Sample tube system | |
| JPH01111660A (en) | Concentration preventive container |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 732E | Amendments to the register in respect of changes of name or changes affecting rights (sect. 32/1977) | ||
| PE20 | Patent expired after termination of 20 years |
Effective date: 20000205 |