JP2006288308A - Seal releasing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seal releasing device to release a sealing tape for sealing wells of a multi-well plate from the multi-well plate. <P>SOLUTION: The seal releasing device 100 is provided with a plate fixing part 200 to fix a multi-well plate 1 having an adhesive sealing tape 2 pasted on the upper surface and a gripping part 300 moving along the upper surface of the multi-well plate 1, gripping the protruded part 21 of the sealing tape 2 protruded from the multi-well plate 1 interlocked with the motion of the gripping part, sharply bending the sealing tape 2 while gripping the protruded part 21 and releasing the sealing tape 2 from the multi-well plate 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a seal peeling device for peeling off a sealing tape enclosing a well of a multi-well plate from the multi-well plate.

  Conventionally, substances produced by microorganisms have been used as a source of new drug development, and microorganisms producing such useful products have been searched.

  In addition, with the recent development of genetic recombination technology, the target DNA can be produced in large quantities by transforming useful substance DNA (RNA) into Escherichia coli, phage, or the like and propagating it. In addition, a method of amplifying DNA in a test tube by a PCR method is also performed.

  When conducting such an experiment, a multi-well plate in which a plurality of wells are regularly arranged is used. By using a multi-well plate, sample dispensing can be automated, and a large number of samples can be handled on a single plate, thereby improving the efficiency of experiments.

  In order to prevent contamination and evaporation of the samples in the wells of the multi-well plate, an adhesive sealing tape is applied to the entire upper surface of the multi-well plate, and all the wells are sealed with the sealing tape. By performing such sealing, the multi-well plate can be stored and transported.

  However, the sealing tape used for sealing the multi-well plate has a strong adhesive force to securely enclose the well opening. Therefore, when an operator peels off the sealing tape from the multi-well plate, a very strong force is required, and many peeling operations are physically burdensome, and some people cause tendonitis. Also, since a large force is required during the work of peeling the sealing tape from the multi-well plate, the multi-well plate may be moved, causing the sample in the well to scatter into another well and cause contamination. Is recognized.

  Therefore, there is a demand for a seal peeling device that can easily peel off the sealing tape enclosing the wells of the multi-well plate from the multi-well plate without requiring physical strength.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described demands, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seal peeling apparatus that peels off a sealing tape enclosing a well of a multi-well plate from the multi-well plate.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plate fixing portion for fixing a multi-well plate having an adhesive sealing tape affixed to an upper surface thereof with the sealing tape facing upward, and an upper surface of the multi-well plate. In conjunction with this conveyance, the protruding portion of the sealing tape protruding from the multi-well plate is gripped, the protruding portion of the sealing tape is gripped, and the sealing tape is bent at an acute angle while the sealing tape is There is provided a seal peeling device having a grip portion for performing an operation of peeling from a well plate.

  Such a seal peeling apparatus can peel off the sealing tape from the multiwell plate only by transporting the gripping portion.

  Further, the present invention provides the first seal peeling apparatus, wherein the gripping portion is held up and down by the operation portion for conveying the multiwell plate and the operation portion, and is normally urged downward. A lifting rail, a guide rail that lifts and lowers the lifting and lowering portion as the operating portion is conveyed, an upper grip portion and a lifting and lowering portion that are provided on the operating portion that are aligned with each other as the lifting and lowering portion is raised. A lower grip portion provided on the multi-well plate, and by moving the operation portion above the multi-well plate, the elevating portion is guided by the guide rail and is raised from the multi-well plate. The protruding portion of the sealing tape is gripped by the upper gripping portion and the lower gripping portion, and the upper gripping portion and the lower gripping portion are sealed by the transport of the operation portion. To provide a seal peeling apparatus characterized by performing peeled off operation of the sealing tape while bending the sealing tape at an acute angle grabbed protruding portion of the over-flop from said multiwell plate.

  In such a seal peeling device, only the operation part constituting the gripping part is transported, and the upper and lower gripping parts grip the protruding part of the sealing tape and bend the sealing tape at an acute angle in conjunction with the transport of the operation part. It can be peeled off from the well plate.

  The seal peeling apparatus of the present invention can peel off the sealing tape attached to the upper surface of the multi-well plate only by transporting the gripping portion, so that it can be easily peeled off without requiring physical strength.

  Hereinafter, although the embodiment of the seal peeling device of the present invention is described, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a seal peeling apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, and FIGS. 3A to 3E are schematic configuration diagrams for explaining the operation. The seal peeling device of the present invention is a device that peels off an adhesive sealing tape attached to enclose each well on the upper surface of a multi-well plate having a plurality of wells. For convenience, the left side of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described as the rear side, and the right side of the apparatus will be described as the front side.

  The size and shape of the multi-well plate are almost uniform worldwide, and the shape is the same. However, depending on the size of the well, 6-well, 12-well, 24-well, 48-well, 96-well, 384-well, etc. There are variations, depending on the purpose of use. The multi-well plate 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a type in which a total of 384 wells 11 of 24 × 16 are provided. Any multi-well plate may be used in the seal peeling apparatus of the present invention. The multi-well plate 1 is provided with a protrusion 12 on the entire outer periphery of the lower end depending on the type. The upper surface of the multi-well plate 1 is flat, a flat surface is provided on the outer periphery of the upper surface, and each well 11 is sealed with the sealing tape 2 by attaching a transparent sealing tape 2 as an adhesive tape to the entire upper surface. can do. In order to prevent contamination, the sealing tape 2 may use a self-adhesive adhesive composed of a silicone resin, and the silicone-based adhesive exhibits a strong adhesive force. Therefore, a great effort is required to peel off the sealing tape 2 attached to the upper surface of the multi-well plate 1. A protruding portion 21 protruding from the multiwell plate 1 is formed on the short side of the multiwell plate 1 of the sealing tape 2 affixed to the upper surface of the multiwell plate 1, and the protruding portion 21 is slightly more than the sealing tape 2. A tab 22 made of a hard resin tape is attached to the entire end of the protruding portion 21 of the sealing tape 2. The tab 22 is attached to peel off the sealing tape 2.

  The seal peeling apparatus 100 of the present invention is designed so that the sealing tape 2 attached to the upper surface of such a multiwell plate 1 can be peeled off. The seal peeling apparatus 100 includes a plate fixing unit 200 that fixes the multi-well plate 1 with the sealing tape 2 attached with the sealing tape 2 facing upward, and a gripping unit 300 that conveys the multi-well plate 1 along the upper surface of the multi-well plate 1. .

  The seal peeling apparatus 100 includes a base plate 110 formed of a rectangular metal plate, and thick metal side plates 120 and 120 each having the same length as the long side of the base plate 110 are provided at both ends on the long side of the base plate 110. It is fixed in an upright position.

  A plate fixing part 200 for fixing the long side of the multiwell plate 1 substantially parallel to the side plate 120 is provided on the upper surface of the base plate 110 substantially at the center of the upper surface of the base plate 110. The plate fixing portion 200 includes a first fixing portion 201 that holds the front end and a second fixing portion 202 that holds the left and right front sides so that the multi-well plate 1 can be fixed against the force when the sealing tape 2 is peeled off. And a third fixing portion 203. As shown in FIG. 3, the first to third fixing portions 201, 202, and 203 are configured so that the tip of the rectangular metal plate 210 that is in close contact with the upper surface of the base plate 110 and fixed with screws is The well plate 1 is formed in the fitting portion 211 by being bent so as to be lifted from the base plate 11 to such an extent that the protrusion 12 provided on the entire circumference of the lower end portion of the well plate 1 can be fitted. Each fitting portion 211 fits and fixes the protruding portion 12 of the multiwell plate 1. Each metal plate 210 has a long hole through which a screw is passed, so that the position of the metal plate 210 can be changed according to the size of the multiwell plate 1.

  The grip unit 300 includes a transport rail 310, an operation unit 320, an elevating unit 330, a grip unit 340, and a guide rail 350. As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer rail 310 has a trapezoidal cross section with the top surface facing the inner surface, rail rails 311 are provided on the upper and lower inclined surfaces, and the inner surfaces of the pair of side plates 120 It is fixed along the upper surface of the side plate 120 over the entire length of the side plate 120 at the upper facing position.

  The operation unit 320 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is supported by the pair of transport rails 310 so as to be transportable from the front end portion to the rear end portion on both sides. The operation unit 320 has a pair of rectangular parallelepiped block portions 321 at both ends, and is bent so as to be in close contact with the upper surface and the front surface of the block portions 321 arranged on the left and right sides to connect the pair of block portions 321. A metal operation plate 322 is provided. Rail attachment portions 323 are mounted on both outer end surfaces of the block portion 321. The rail mounting portion 323 has a turtle-bracket ([]) cross-sectional shape combined with the trapezoidal cross-section transport rail 310, and the rails of the transport rail 310 are on the inclined upper surface and lower surface, respectively. A pair of conveying rollers 324 that can move while rotating in the groove 311 are rotatably mounted. The transport roller 324 of the rail mounting portion 323 is fitted into the rail groove 311 of the transport rail 310, and the upper and lower transport rollers 324 sandwich and hold the upper and lower rail grooves 311 from above and below, so that the operation unit 320 is used for transport. The rail 310 is mounted so that it can be transported with light force and cannot be removed. The operation unit 320 is guided by the transport rail 310 and transports from the rear end portion of the transport rail 310 to the front end portion in parallel with the base plate 110 at a certain distance from the upper surface of the base plate 110. A knob 325 is attached to the center of the upper surface of the operation unit 320. In addition, a sliding hole 326 having a circular cross section penetrating in the vertical direction is provided in the central portion of each block portion 321 of the operation portion 320.

  The lower end portion of the operation plate 322 extends downward from the block portion 321 as shown in FIG. Both ends of the lower end of the operation plate 322 are further extended, slightly bent downward in a direction parallel to the base plate 110, and bent forward, whereby an upper grip portion 341 constituting the grip portion 340 is configured. Has been. The lower end of the upper grip 341 moves slightly along the upper surface of the multiwell plate 1 while being slightly separated from the upper surface of the multiwell plate 1.

  The guide rail 350 is provided from the rear side on the left side in FIG. 1 to the front side on the right side along each corner where the side plate 120 and the base plate 110 intersect. The guide rail 350 has a rail surface on the upper surface on which rollers at both ends of an elevating unit 330 described later travel. The guide rail 350 is temporarily interrupted at the rear end portion to be provided with a first drop portion 351 (see FIG. 3), and a stopper 352 is attached to the upper surface of the rear end portion. The rail surface is formed with a first rail surface 353 having a certain low height from the rear end to the front of the rear end of the multiwell plate 1 fixed by the plate fixing unit 200. An elevating rail surface 354 whose height gradually increases from the front side toward the front side is formed in front of the rear end of the multiwell plate 1, and the front side from the elevating rail surface 354 has a constant height higher than the first rail surface 353. The second rail surface 355 is formed. Further, the front end portion of the guide rail 350 is temporarily interrupted, and a second drop portion 357 is provided.

  The elevating part 330 has a metal rectangular bar-like elevating part main body 331 having a length substantially equal to the distance between the left and right guide rails 350. A pair of shaft rods 332 that are slidably inserted into the sliding holes 326 of the block portion 321 of the operation portion 320 are integrally provided on the upper surface of the elevating portion main body 331 in an upright manner. A roller 333 that rolls on the rail surface of the guide rail 350 is attached to each end surface of the elevating unit main body 331 so as to freely rotate. Further, a lower grip portion 342 that constitutes a grip portion 340 that is formed of a metal plate, protrudes forward, and is slightly curved downward is attached to a position corresponding to the upper grip portion 341 on the front surface of the lift body 331. It has been. When the shaft bar 332 is inserted into the sliding hole 326 and the lifting / lowering unit 330 is attached to the operation unit 320 in a state where the roller 333 rolls freely on the upper surface of the guide rail 350, the lifting / lowering unit 330 connects the sliding hole 326 to the shaft bar 332. By being slidably inserted, the elevating part 330 is held so as to be able to move up and down so as to be able to separate and approach the lower surface of the block part 321 of the operation part 320, and the roller 333 is normally placed on the upper surface of the guide rail 350 by its own weight. It is urged downward to get on. Then, when the operation unit 320 is transported along the transport rail 310, the elevating unit 330 moves while the roller 333 rolls on the rail surface of the guide rail 350 and is held up and down together with the operation unit 320. In the first rail surface 353 where the height of the guide rail 350 is low, the upper grip portion 341 and the lower grip portion 342 are separated from each other, but when the roller 333 travels on the lift rail surface 354, the lift portion 330 is In the second rail surface 355 that is guided by 350 and rises and the height of the guide rail 350 is high, the lower grip portion 342 presses the upper grip portion 341, and the tab 22 of the sealing tape 2 is sandwiched therebetween. It will be in a state not to release. When the roller 333 is rolling on the second rail surface 355, the lower surface of the lower grip portion 342 at the lowermost end of the elevating unit 330 moves slightly away from the upper surface of the multiwell plate 1 and moves along the upper surface. It has become.

  The operation of the seal peeling apparatus 100 will be described with reference mainly to FIG. First, the multi-well plate 1 is prepared in which the sealing tape 2 is attached to the entire upper surface, the sealing tape 2 protrudes from one of the short sides, and the tab 22 is attached to the protruding portion 21.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the operation unit 320 is arranged so that the roller 333 of the elevating unit 330 is in the first drop unit 351 at the rear end of the guide rail 350. When the roller 333 is in the first drop unit 351, the operation unit 320 does not move carelessly and is locked to some extent. As shown in FIG. 1, the front end portion having the short side opposite to the short side where the protruding portion 21 is provided is mounted on the plate fixing portion 200 of the base plate 110. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3A, the protrusion 12 at the base end of the multi-well plate 1 is pressed from the upper side by the plate fixing portion 200, and the multi-well plate 1 is plate-shaped with the sealing tape 2 facing upward. The fixing portion 200 fixes the base plate 110 against the upward force in the upward direction and the forward force when the base plate 110 is peeled off.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the handle 325 of the operation unit 320 is grasped and pushed forward, the roller 333 leaves the first drop portion 351, and the operation unit 320 causes the roller 333 to move the guide rail 350. It can move forward by rolling on the first rail surface 353. Further, when the operation unit 320 is conveyed forward, when the roller 333 travels on the elevating rail surface 354 of the guide rail 350, the elevating unit 330 is raised by being guided by the elevating rail surface 354, and as the elevating unit 330 rises. The lower grip 342 is also raised. While the roller 333 travels on the elevating rail surface 354, the tip end of the lower grip portion 342 enters the lower side of the tab 22 at the tip portion of the protruding portion 21 of the sealing tape 2, and the tip end of the lower grip portion 342 protrudes. The tab 22 of the part 21 is pushed up slightly from the lower side.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, when the operation unit 320 is further advanced and the roller 333 finishes traveling on the lifting rail surface 354 and reaches the second rail surface 355, the upper grip portion 341 is moved to the lower grip portion. Since the 342 strongly presses with the tab 22 at the tip of the protruding portion 21 sandwiched therebetween, the upper grip 341 and the lower grip 342 strongly grip both ends of the tab 22 at the tip of the sealing tape 2, It will be in a state not to release.

  As shown in FIG. 3D, since the lower end of the lower grip portion 342 is slightly separated from the upper surface of the multiwell plate 1, when the operation portion 320 is advanced, the upper grip portion 341 and the lower grip portion While the tab 342 of the sealing tape 2 is gripped, the protruding portion 21 of the sealing tape 2 is bent at an acute angle and is wound around the tip of the lower gripping portion 342. As the upper surface of the plate 1 is advanced, the sealing tape 2 is peeled off from the upper surface of the multiwell plate 1 in a state where the sealing tape 2 is bent at an acute angle of approximately 180 °.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (e), when the operation unit 320 reaches the front end of the transport rail 310, the sealing tape 2 is completely peeled off from the upper surface of the multiwell plate 1, and the upper gripping portion 341 and the lower side are separated. The sealing tape 2 is dragged while the grip portion 342 holds the tab 22. When the roller 333 enters the second drop portion 357, the lower grip portion 341 and the upper grip portion 342 are separated as a result of the roller 333 descending, and the grip of the tab 22 of the sealing tape 2 by the grip portion 340 is released. Then, the peeled sealing tape 2 can be easily taken out from the seal peeling device 100. Then, the operation unit 320 is retracted and returned to the rear end side as shown in FIG. 3A, and the multiwell plate 1 from which the sealing tape 2 has been peeled is taken out from the plate fixing unit 200, and the sealing tape 2 is peeled off. Ends. The multi-well plate 1 to which the sealing tape 2 is to be peeled off is attached to the plate fixing unit 200, and a new peeling operation is started, and the above-described operation is repeated.

  As described above, in the seal peeling device 100 according to the present embodiment, the lifting unit 330 is guided by the guide rail 350 and is lifted as the operating unit 320 is transported by only the operation of moving the operating unit 320 forward. The lower gripping portion 242 rises with the rise of the lower gripping portion, and the protruding portion 21 of the adhesive sealing tape 2 enclosing the well of the multi-well plate 1 fixed by the plate fixing portion 200 is moved to the lower gripping portion. 242 and the upper gripping portion 241 are automatically gripped, and the lower gripping portion 242 and the upper gripping portion 241 grip the protruding portion 21 and bend the sealing tape 2 at an acute angle as the operation portion 320 is conveyed. While being peeled off from the multi-well plate 1, a series of operations for holding the sealing tape 2 and releasing the portion 240 is interlocked with the conveyance of the operation portion 320. It can be carried out.

  Therefore, the labor and time required for the operator to peel off can be greatly reduced, and the multiwell plate 1 does not move during the peeling operation, so that the sample in the well may move to another well and cause contamination. The reliability of the experiment is improved. In addition, the structure is relatively simple, it is difficult to break, and it can handle a large amount of peeling work.

  Since the height of the multiwell plate 1 varies depending on the type, the seal peeling apparatus 100 of the present invention can be applied to multiwell plates having the same height in principle.

In the above description, the plate fixing portion is configured to press the protrusion at the base end portion of the multi-well plate, but the fixing means for the multi-well plate is not limited to this. In addition, the gripping part was structured to grip the tip of the sealing tape, but it can be hooked with, for example, a hook-shaped object, or the gripping part can be made sticky to adhere to the end of the sealing tape. May be. Furthermore, although the guide rail was used for raising / lowering the raising / lowering part, there is no restriction | limiting in the means to raise / lower the raising / lowering part.
In the above description, the operation unit is manually moved. However, the operation unit may be electrically driven, hydraulically or pneumatically driven.

  The seal peeling apparatus of the present invention can be used for peeling a sealing tape enclosing the wells of a multi-well plate used for experiments such as new drug development.

It is a top view of one embodiment of the seal peeling device of the present invention. It is a front view of one Embodiment of the seal peeling apparatus of this invention. (A)-(e) is a schematic block diagram explaining operation | movement of the seal | sticker peeling apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: Multiwell plate 2: Sealing tape 21: Protruding part 22: Tab 100: Seal peeling device 200: Plate fixing part 300: Holding part 310: Transporting rail 320: Operating part 330: Lifting part 332: Shaft bar 333: Roller 340: Grasp part 341: Upper grip part 342: Lower grip part 350: Guide rail 354: Lift rail surface

Claims (2)

A multi-well plate with an adhesive sealing tape attached on the upper surface is transported along the upper surface of the multi-well plate, and a plate fixing portion for fixing the multi-well plate with the sealing tape facing upward, A gripping portion for gripping the protruding portion of the sealing tape protruding from the multiwell plate, gripping the protruding portion of the sealing tape, bending the sealing tape at an acute angle, and peeling the sealing tape from the multiwell plate; A seal peeling apparatus characterized by comprising: The seal peeling apparatus according to claim 1,
The gripping part conveys the upper part of the multi-well plate, the raising / lowering part that is held up and down freely by the operation part, and is normally urged downward, and with the conveyance of the operation part, A guide rail that raises and lowers the elevating part, an upper grip part provided in the operation part that is matched to each other as the elevating part rises, and a lower grip part provided in the elevating part,
The upper gripping portion and the lower gripping portion of the protruding portion of the sealing tape protruding from the multi-well plate as the elevating portion is guided by the guide rail and is lifted by conveying the operation portion. The upper gripping portion and the lower gripping portion grip the protruding portion of the sealing tape and bend the sealing tape at an acute angle as the operation portion is transported, and peel off the sealing tape from the multi-well plate. A seal peeling apparatus characterized by performing an operation.

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