Device for holding articles to remove the packaging therefrom
Inventors
Sinnema, Jurjen • Petri, Roger
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12246874-B2
Publication Date
2025-03-11
Expiration Date
Abstract
A holder for consumables for use in an analyzer is disclosed. The holder has one or more receptacles for receiving a stack of consumables. The consumables are wrapped in packaging and are placed in the holder as a stack of packaged consumables. The receptacles have a height sufficient to receive the stack of consumable. The receptacles have an opening miming along the side of the receptacle for the entire portion of the height of the receptacle that receives the stack of consumables. The receptacles have a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end is the end of the receptacles into which the stack of consumables is place and from which the consumables are removed. The distal portion of the receptacles support the stack of consumables in the receptacles.
Core Innovation
The described consumable holder has a plurality of receptacles, each with a proximal end, a distal end, a support for packaged consumables near the distal end, and a single continuous opening extending along the receptacle’s height from the proximal end to the distal end and through the support. The described arrangement supports packaged consumables while their packaging is pulled through the opening, leaving the consumables in the receptacle.
The described method concerns removing packaging from a stack of consumables for an analyzer while the stack remains supported in a receptacle. The consumables may be caps, and the holder may be integrated with an openable drawer; the packaging may include a weakened portion. The background section is not included in the partial content, so the problem being solved is not explicitly described in patent.
Claims Coverage
The relevant claims include two independent claims: one directed to a consumable holder and one directed to a method for removing packaging from a stack of consumables.
Consumable holder with continuous openings
The holder comprises a plurality of receptacles, a support for packaged consumables proximate to the distal ends, and a single continuous opening along the height of each receptacle, extending from the proximal end to the distal end and through the support. Dependent claims further specify a flange support, stacks of caps, receptacle geometry, and housing or drawer arrangements.
Packaging removal while the stack remains supported
The method covers removing packaging from a stack of consumables by pulling it from the continuous opening at the distal end, while the stack remains in and is supported by the receptacle. Dependent claims identify caps for biological-sample testing, panels for microorganism identification or antibiotic susceptibility testing, removal of a consumable from the top of the stack, and a weakened portion of the packaging.
The claims cover a holder whose receptacles have continuous openings through their supports, and a packaging-removal method in which the stack remains supported in a receptacle.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
The holder is for packaged consumables in an analyzer.
The method applies to caps that close ports in a consumable used to test a biological sample. The caps may be for a panel used for microorganism identification, microorganism antibiotic susceptibility testing, or both.
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