JP2009042081A - Sample-extracting container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sample-extracting container which has a small number of parts, keeps the cost decreased and is capable of further preventing spread of infection. <P>SOLUTION: A first part 1 comprises a sealing cap 11 formed so as to close an opening part 20a in a liquid-tight manner and equipped with a first screw part 12 and a second part 2 is constituted, by integrally molding the container body 20 having the opening part 20a, the nozzle cylinder 30 formed so as to be mounted on the opening part 20a in a liquid-tight manner and the connection band 40 for connecting the container body 20 and the nozzle cylinder 30. The second screw part 24 threaded with the first screw part 12 is formed at the periphery of the opening part 20a of the container body 20 and locking claws 23 and 37 meshed with each other are respectively formed to the container body 20 and the nozzle cylinder 30. The nozzle cylinder 30 is equipped with a nozzle body 31, and the screw cylinder 33 formed at the outer peripheral part of the nozzle body 31 and having the third screw part 34 threaded with the first screw part 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sample extraction container for detecting whether a patient has an infection or the like.

  Conventionally, sample extraction containers have been put to practical use. For example, the examiner uses a cotton swab to contact a cotton ball with the affected area, collects the sample, puts the swab into the sample extraction container, and stores it inside the container. A cotton ball is brought into contact with the obtained solution, a sample is extracted, and the solution is dropped from the container onto an inspection apparatus equipped with a diagnostic reagent. In addition, after the dripping is completed, the inspector seals the container with a lid or the like and discards so that the infection does not spread after disposal.

  The number of parts of this type of sample extraction container is not only from the viewpoint of reducing the manufacturing cost per container and the cost of the mold for manufacturing, but rather from the viewpoint of preventing the spread of infection as described below. It is desirable to have as few as possible.

  (1) First, as the number of parts in the sample extraction container increases, the frequency at which the inspector moves his / her hand increases. Therefore, there is an increased risk that the examiner's hand touches the liquid containing the specimen and further transfers the touched liquid to other parts.

  (2) The shape of each part of the sample extraction container often has a substantially cylindrical shape and is easy to roll. And if the number of parts is large, each part will be placed around, and the parts that touched the liquid containing the specimen will roll and move against the inspector's intention to hit the wipes or solutions. , May result in scattering. If this happens, the risk of spreading the infection becomes extremely large.

  (3) Furthermore, when the examiner examines a large number of patients, when the number of sample extraction containers themselves is large, if the number of parts in each sample extraction container is large, the parts may be misunderstood. Factors that hinder accurate inspection, such as errors in the number of parts or missing parts, increase exponentially, that is, increase significantly.

  The number of parts of this type of sample extraction container is usually the following four (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (FIG. 4 of Registered Utility Model No. 3107824)). That is, 1: container body, 2: container body cap (usually, since the container body already contains a solution, this cap is necessary to prevent the solution from inadvertently leaking), 3 : Dropping nozzle (installed instead after the container body cap is removed) 4: Dropping nozzle cap (the solution remaining in the container body after the solution is dropped from the dropping nozzle is not inadvertently leaked) Therefore, this cap is necessary). Further, after the sample extraction container is used, 1: the container body, 3: the dropping nozzle, and 4: the dropping nozzle cap are integrated, but 2: the body cap is not so, and waste is used.

  The present applicant has previously proposed a container described in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-40710). According to this, the number of parts before use is the following three. That is, 1: a container body, 2: a dripping nozzle cap, 3: a member in which the lid of the container body and the dripping nozzle are integrally connected by a hinge (note that a protrusion protruding outward from the center of the lid is formed, The container body is opened to the outside by breaking and removing the protrusions). According to this, the number of parts before use (apparently three) is reduced by one, and it can be said that it is one step ahead of the normal one. However, since the protrusion is separated from the container body after use (that is, immediately before being discarded), it can be considered that the protrusion itself is included in the substantial number of parts (in fact, the protrusion is an opening portion). The solution is easy to touch). Further, after the sample extraction container is used, 1: the container body, 3: the member integrally connecting the lid of the container body and the dropping nozzle with the hinge, and 2: the dropping nozzle cap are integrated, but separated from the container body. The protrusions are not, and become wasteless waste.

Therefore, in any case, a sample extraction container with a smaller number of parts is required from the viewpoint of cost and prevention of spread of infection.
Registered Utility Model No. 3107824 JP 2007-40710 A

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sample extraction container that has a small number of parts, and therefore can further prevent cost reduction and spread of infection.

  A sample extraction container according to a first invention is a sample extraction container composed of a first part and a second part, and the first part is formed so that an opening having a predetermined shape can be liquid-tightly closed. And the second part includes a bottomed container body having an opening, a nozzle cylinder formed so as to be liquid-tightly attached to the opening, and a container body. A connecting band that connects the nozzle cylinder and has a predetermined length is integrally formed, and a second threaded portion that is screwed with the first threaded portion is formed around the opening of the container body. Each of the nozzle cylinders is formed with engaging claws that mesh with each other, and by engaging these engaging claws, the nozzle cylinder is attached to the opening, and the nozzle cylinder is disposed in the container body through the opening. A nozzle body that discharges the solution to the outside and a shape on the outer periphery of the nozzle body And a screw cylinder with a third screw portion which engages with the first threaded portion is.

  With this configuration, the number of parts of the sample extraction container is only two, that is, the first part and the second part, and can be reduced to half that of the prior art. Thereby, the spread of infection can be prevented more and it can contribute to cost reduction.

  Also, the sample extraction operation can be carried out with no trouble as described below by using two parts.

  First, before the sample extraction operation, the nozzle cylinder is removed from the opening, but is integrated with the container body by the connecting band. In general, the solution is put in the container body, but the solution does not leak to the outside because the first screw portion of the sealing cap and the second screw portion of the opening are screwed together. .

  Next, before the sample is brought into contact with the solution, the inspector removes the sealing cap from the opening, and after the sample is brought into contact with the solution and the extraction of the sample is completed, the engaging claws of the container body and the nozzle cylinder are respectively engaged. And attach the nozzle body to the opening. At this time, it is only necessary to engage these engaging claws, and it is not necessary to rotate the nozzle cylinder relative to the container body several times, so that the connection band is not twisted. .

  Furthermore, the inspector discharges the solution in the container body to the outside through the opening of the container body and the nozzle body of the nozzle cylinder, and then seals the third threaded part of the nozzle cylinder and the sealing. The first threaded portion of the cap is screwed together, and the opening of the container body is sealed again. That is, the first screw portion of the sealing cap is shared by both the second screw portion and the third screw portion.

  Thereafter, the first part and the second part are disposed of in an integrated manner, but there is no element (unnecessary waste) excluded from the first part and the second part at the time of the disposal, and the infection spreads. Can be prevented more effectively.

  In the sample extraction container according to the second invention, an extraction part for extracting a sample adhering to the cotton ball is formed in the lower part of the container body by rubbing a cotton ball inserted downward from the opening.

  In this configuration, the sample can be extracted efficiently by the extraction unit.

  According to the present invention, the number of parts of the sample extraction container can be greatly reduced, the infection spread can be effectively prevented, and the inspector can perform the sample extraction operation without any trouble. Moreover, since the number of parts is small, it can contribute to the cost reduction required for container manufacture.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a sample extraction container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sample extraction container of the present embodiment is roughly divided into two pieces, a first part 1 and a second part 2.

  In FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, the first component 1 and the second component 2 are separated from each other. However, before the sample extraction operation is started (that is, the sample extraction container of this embodiment is In the state provided to the inspector), the container S 20 of the second part 2 is generally filled with the solution S, and the first part 1 and the second part 2 are sealed for sealing the solution S. And (sealing cap 11 and container body 20) are in an integrated state.

  The first component 1 includes a sealing cap 11. The sealing cap 11 is a rotating body having a substantially convex cross section, and is preferably composed of a resin colored in a color determined for each type of specimen suspected of being present (for example, adenovirus, influenza virus, etc.). Is done. The sealing cap 11 of this example forms a concentric triple cylinder, and a second screw part 24 formed in the vicinity of the opening 20a of the container body 20 on the inner peripheral surface of the outermost cylinder, A first screw portion 12 that is screwed into the third screw portion 34 of the nozzle cylinder 30 is formed.

  A nozzle plug 14 that protrudes downward protrudes on the innermost peripheral side of the sealing cap 11. As will be described later, the nozzle plug 14 seals the nozzle 32 when inserted into the nozzle 32.

  In the middle of the nozzle plug 14 and the first screw portion 12, an inner seal portion 13 extending downward is provided in a cylindrical downward direction, and the first screw portion 12 of the sealing cap 11 is screwed to the second screw portion 24. Then, the inner seal portion 13 is in close contact with the opening 20a of the container body 20, and the opening 20a is sealed in a liquid-tight manner.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second component 2 includes a bottomed container body 20 having an opening 20a, a nozzle cylinder 30 formed so as to be liquid-tightly attached to the opening 20a, a container body 20 and a nozzle. A connecting band 40 that connects the cylinder 30 and has a predetermined length is integrally formed. The predetermined length includes a state in which the nozzle cylinder 30 is removed from the container body 20 as shown in FIG. 1, a state in which the nozzle cylinder 30 is attached to the container body 20 as shown in FIG. In an intermediate state between these states, it is set in advance so that an excessive force does not act on the connecting band 40. For example, the predetermined length (longitudinal direction) may be set to about 1.2 times the entire width of the nozzle cylinder 30. Although not shown in the drawing, the width of the connection band 40 (the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction) may be formed to be as wide as appropriate, for example, substantially equal to the entire width of the nozzle cylinder 30. Desirable to prevent. When doing so, it is desirable to appropriately open a rectangular hole or the like in the central portion of the connection band 40 so that the strength of the connection band 40 and the bendability of the connection band 40 are harmonized.

  As described above, the second component 2 is formed by integrally molding the container body 20, the nozzle cylinder 30, and the connection band 40. Here, in order to make it easy for the inspector to visually recognize the inside of the container body 20 from the outside during sample extraction, the entire second component 2 is made of an injection molded product made of a transparent or translucent synthetic resin. It is desirable to do. If it carries out like this, it can manufacture cheaply, can employ | adopt a disposable use aspect, and since it is robust, there is little fear of a failure | damage.

  Around the opening 20 a of the container body 20, a second screw portion 24 that is screwed with the first screw portion 12 is formed. In the container body 20, an engagement claw 23 is formed slightly above the second screw portion 24, and in the nozzle cylinder 30, at a position corresponding to the engagement claw 23, Engaging engagement claws 37 are formed.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, when the coupling band 40 is bent and the nozzle cylinder 30 is turned upside down from the state shown in FIG. The inner seal portion 36 provided on the inner peripheral side of the claw 37 is in liquid-tight contact with the opening 20 a of the container body 20, and the nozzle cylinder 30 is attached to the container body 20.

  In the example of FIG. 1, both end portions of the connection band 40 are respectively connected to an annular flange 22 that protrudes from the container body 20 to the outer peripheral side and an edge portion of the outer cylinder 35 of the nozzle cylinder 30. However, the connection position of the connection band 40 may be changed as appropriate. Note that the flange 22 of the container body 20 abuts on and supports the lower end edge of the sealing cap 11 when the sealing cap 11 is attached.

  The inner space of the container body 20 is generally tapered (upper is thicker and becomes thinner as it goes downward).

  As shown in FIG. 2, an extraction unit 21 that extracts a sample attached to the cotton ball 17 by rubbing the cotton ball 17 of the cotton swab 16, which is inserted downward from the opening 20 a, is rubbed at the lower part of the container body 20. Is formed. The extraction unit 21 includes a rough surface, a vertical groove, unevenness, or a combination thereof. When the extraction unit 21 is used, the sample can be efficiently extracted by squeezing or scrubbing the wiping liquid adhering to the cotton ball 17 from the cotton ball 17. In this example, the container body 20 is transparent or translucent, and the inspector can visually recognize the vicinity of the extraction unit 21 from the outside, so that the reliability of the operation can be improved. In addition, although the example which uses a cotton swab is described in this form, the use of the sample extraction container of this form is not necessarily limited to using a cotton swab. For example, the sample may be collected using another jig or tool such as a pipette or a syringe.

  Now, in the state of FIG. 1, the nozzle cylinder 30 is in an upside down posture. That is, the discharge port 32 of the nozzle body 31 faces downward. A cylindrical screw cylinder 33 protrudes from the outer peripheral portion of the nozzle body 31, and a third screw portion 34 that engages with the first screw portion 12 of the sealing cap 11 on the outer peripheral surface of the screw cylinder 33. Is formed.

  Next, sample extraction work using the sample extraction container of this embodiment will be described.

  First, as described above, when the sample extraction container of this embodiment reaches the inspector's hand, the opening 20a is sealed by the sealing cap 11, and the solution S is liquid-tight in the container body 20. It is stored.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the inspector collects a sample using the cotton swab 16, removes the sealing cap 11 from the container body 20, and exposes the opening 20 a. Then, the examiner puts the cotton swab 16 into the container body 20 through the opening 20a, advances the cotton ball 17 to the extraction unit 21, contacts the solution S, moves the sample to the solution S, and mixes it.

  Next, the inspector turns the nozzle cylinder 30 upside down from the state of FIG. 2 and attaches the nozzle cylinder 30 to the opening 20a of the container body 20 as shown in FIG. At this time, it is only necessary to engage the engaging claws 23 and 37 with each other. For example, the nozzle cylinder 30 does not need to be rotated many times with respect to the container body 20 so as to be screwed. There is no need to worry about screw breakage.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the inspector reverses the connection of the container body 20 and the nozzle cylinder 30 so that the discharge port 32 of the nozzle body 31 faces downward, and the test assay 50 Add the required amount of solution to the inspection device.

  When the dripping is completed, the inspector again reverses the connection of the container body 20 and the nozzle cylinder 30 so that the discharge port 32 faces upward, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the first screw portion 12 of the sealing cap 11 and the third screw portion 34 of the nozzle cylinder 30 are screwed together to seal the discharge port 32 (that is, the opening 20a). At this time, the nozzle plug 14 of the sealing cap 11 is fitted into the discharge port 32 of the nozzle body 31, and the solution S is held in a state that does not leak.

  Then, the inspector can integrally discard the sample extraction container in the state of FIG. 4, and the liquid tightness is maintained even after the disposal. Also, as is clear from the above description, since there are basically no parts or parts that are removed or separated from the sample extraction container, it is not possible for infection to spread through such parts or parts. It is impossible and can prevent infection more effectively. In short, as is apparent from FIG. 4, in the sample extraction container of this embodiment, useless waste is substantially zero.

Sectional drawing (before extraction) of the sample extraction container in one embodiment of this invention Explanatory drawing of extraction process by sample extraction container in one embodiment of the present invention (during extraction) (A) Extraction process explanatory diagram by sample extraction container in one embodiment of the present invention (when nozzle tube is mounted) (b) Extraction process explanatory diagram by sample extraction container in one embodiment of the present invention (drip) Explanatory drawing of extraction process by sample extraction container in one embodiment of the present invention (when sealed)

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st part 2 2nd part 11 Sealing cap 12 1st thread part 13, 36 Inner seal part 14 Nozzle stopper 20 Container main body 20a Opening part 21 Extraction part 22 Flange 23, 37 Engagement claw 24 2nd thread part 30 Nozzle Tube 31 Nozzle body 32 Discharge port 33 Screw tube 34 Third screw part 35 Outer tube 40 Connection band 50 Test assay

Claims (2)

A sample extraction container comprising a first part and a second part,
The first component comprises a sealing cap that is formed so as to be able to liquid-tightly close an opening having a predetermined shape and includes a first screw portion,
The second part includes a bottomed container body having the opening, a nozzle cylinder formed so as to be liquid-tightly attached to the opening, and a predetermined length by connecting the container body and the nozzle cylinder. And a connecting band having an integral shape,
Around the opening of the container body, a second screw portion that is screwed with the first screw portion is formed,
Each of the container main body and the nozzle cylinder is formed with an engaging claw that meshes with each other, and by engaging these engaging claws, the nozzle cylinder is attached to the opening,
The nozzle cylinder has a nozzle body that discharges the solution in the container body to the outside through the opening, and a third screw part that is formed on the outer periphery of the nozzle body and is screwed with the first screw part. A sample extraction container comprising a screw cylinder. The sample extraction container according to claim 1, wherein an extraction part for extracting a sample adhering to the cotton ball is formed by rubbing a cotton ball inserted downward from the opening in the lower part of the container body.

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