Device for the transfer of a medium

Device for transferring a medium.

The present invention relates to the transfer of media, such as liquids, to or from a container.

It is especially important, in particular in the field of pharmacology and biotechnology, to be able to extract samples for analysis, for example, to perform microbiological checks in culture tanks, for cell counting, for chemical analysis, etc.

Such extraction should be carried out minimizing the risks of contamination of the extracted sample and the medium from which the sample was extracted.

There are already known devices, in particular by European patent EP 0 858 589, for transferring a medium to or from a container, comprising a substantially cylindrical storage, as well as several transfer elements for transferring the medium, each of which is arranged in a cavity of the warehouse, each cavity being introduced in the same face of the warehouse that is adapted to cooperate with a wall of the container.

Each transfer element comprises a transfer conduit at one end with a needle, a partition having a portion adapted to be sealed with the container and pierced by the tip of the needle, and a needle actuation device adapted to pass the needle from a waiting position in which it is located inside the cavity and insulated with respect to the interior of the container by the partition, to a working position, in which its tip is projected from the cavity by the portion of the partition that is adapted to be perforated.

The transfer conduit of each transfer element may be connected, at the opposite end with respect to the needle, to an extraction bag to collect the sample from the container after it has passed through the transfer element.

The conduit also has a curved portion that is housed in a window of the storage body to keep the transfer element locked in its waiting position, in order to prevent any risk of the septum being inadvertently pierced by the needle (for example , as a result of improper handling by the operator).

To unlock that transfer member, the operator causes the conduit of that element to rotate to release its curved portion of the window and to place that portion along the axis of a groove formed in the body of the warehouse and along which , by pressing on the drive unit towards the vessel, the conduit is adapted to slide and cause the needle to pass from its waiting position to its working position, in order to allow the transfer of fluid to or from the container.

The invention aims to provide a device that is also adapted to allow the transfer of a medium, but at the same time is more economical, more practical, and offers better performance.

For this purpose, it provides a device for the transfer of a medium to or from a container that includes a warehouse and at least one transfer element for the transfer of said medium received in a cavity formed in said warehouse, said transfer element comprising a transfer conduit for transferring said means provided at one end of a needle, a partition that has a portion adapted to be sealed with the container and pierced by the tip of said needle, and a unit for actuating said needle adapted to cause said needle to pass from a waiting position in which its tip is it is located inside the said cavity, at a working position in which its tip projects from the said cavity through the said portion of the partition that is adapted to be perforated, said transfer element also comprising blocking means adapted to cooperate with complementary blocking means of said store to block said needle in its waiting position; characterized in that said blocking means belong to said drive unit and cooperate with said complementary blocking means in a location of the warehouse that is different from the location through which, at the opposite end of the needle, the said duct leaves the cavity.

In the device according to the invention, the blocking function is no longer provided by a portion of the conduit, but rather by dedicated blocking means that are present in the drive unit, such that it is possible to dispense with the curved portion of the conduit that was necessary in the prior art device to provide the blocking function.

The fact that dedicated blocking means cooperates with complementary blocking means in a location that is located separate from the location through which the transfer conduit exits the cavity (at the opposite end with respect to the needle) causes it is possible to provide a conduit of

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transfer more easily than that of the prior art device (for example, substantially rectilinearly).

Therefore, the partition and the drive unit can be produced, as a consequence of the simple shape of the transfer conduit, for example by overmolding around that conduit, making the device according to the invention much easier to manufacture. and less expensive.

The fabrication of the overmolding partition makes the partition more resistant, either in terms of sealing or wear (caused, for example, by repeated sterilization operations of the transfer element).

The possibility of producing a duct more simply also provides a greater choice of materials, in particular, of the material constituting the needle (for example, of polymeric material).

In accordance with the preferred characteristics for reasons of simplicity and convenience both in regard to manufacturing and with respect to use, said blocking means and said complementary blocking means are also adapted to block said needle in its work position.

This makes it possible to improve the safety of use, avoiding any risk of the needle inadvertently returning to its waiting position as a result of the compression forces exerted by the septum against the needle.

On the other hand, this is a way that the operator, knowing that he has to block the needle in his working position, guarantees that he has actually pierced the septum, since in this way he is induced to press the activation unit until there is reached that locked position.

According to other preferred features, said blocking means and said complementary blocking means are adapted to carry out the locking by engagement.

The blocking by hooking of the transfer element to the warehouse (instead of being it by rotation) allows considerable space to be freed to place more transfer elements in a warehouse of the same diameter as that of the prior art (thus increasing the number of extraction points of the container).

According to still other preferred features:

<dl><dt>-</dt><dd>said locking means of said drive unit are radially movable in relation to said complementary locking means of said store; -the aforementioned drive unit comprises a body fixed to said needle, an actuation flange, and a flexible arm that connects said body to said flange, and / or -the aforementioned flange and said arm belong to said means lock</dd></dl>

In accordance with still other preferred features, said flange is displaced radially in relation to said conduit.

The presence of an actuation flange that is radially displaced in relation to the conduit allows a larger flange to be produced without preventing the movement of the needle to its working position, which makes it easier to operate the needle and pierce the partition that way.

More particularly, drilling the partition in most cases requires strong pressure (varying from 5 to 6 kilos), so that the presence of a large flange allows comfortable handling for the user to pierce the partition and carry the needle to its working position

According to still other preferred features:

<dl><dt>-</dt><dd>said warehouse has a body and a nerve, said nerve belonging to said complementary blocking means and projecting laterally from said body, a portion of said flange facing an edge of said nerve being located in said position of said wait; - in said working position, said portion of said tab is oriented towards another edge of said nerve; - the portion of said conduit located in said cavity is substantially rectilinear; - the said partition comprises, in addition to said portion adapted to be perforated, a sleeve that surrounds said needle, at least partially, and which has a portion adapted to deform like a bellows with the passage of said needle from its position of wait for your work position; - said transfer element is obtained by molding said needle, said partition and said drive unit and / or </dd></dl>

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<dl><dt>-</dt><dd>the conduit of said transfer element is adapted to connect, at the opposite end of said needle, to a series of bags, arranged one behind the other, with which the deposits communicate with each other, whereby they are adapted to be filled one after the other with the transfer of said medium through said conduit. </dd></dl>

The features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, which is provided by way of preferred example, but not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

<dl><dt>-</dt><dd>Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device according to the invention fixed to the wall of a container, one of the transfer elements of that device being represented in its working position to allow the transfer of the liquid, while the Other transfer elements are represented in their waiting position. - Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but from a different angle and shows a cutout in order to illustrate the interior of the device; -Figure 3 is a perspective view presenting the device in isolation; - Figures 4 and 5 are, respectively, a perspective view and a sectioned elevation view taken by a plane of average symmetry of the device, in which only one of the transfer elements arranged in its waiting position is represented; - Figures 6 and 7 are views similar to Figures 4 and 5, and represent that transfer element in its working position; - Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating the transfer element in isolation with the conformation it assumes when it is in its waiting position; -Figure 9 is an elevation view illustrating that transfer element in the conformation it assumes when it is in that working position;</dd></dl>

-Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating that transfer element connected to a series of extraction bags; - Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure 10, but for bags that have a different conformation; - Figure 12 is an enlarged view of the detail identified by XII in Figure 11, which is shown cropped, and -Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 11, but in which pliers of crimp, which are provided to separate some bags from the others.

The transfer device illustrated in Figures 1 to 7 comprises a store 2, as well as five transfer elements 3.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the assembly formed by the warehouse 2 and the five transfer elements 3 must be attached to a coupling 4 that is fixed to a wall 6 of the container 8, in which five openings 7 are formed to allow that the extreme portions of the transmission elements 3 enter inside the container.

A clamp handle 5 that is threaded into the coupling 4 allows the device to be pressed against that coupling to make the sealing connection to the container.

The store 2 of the transfer device is generally cylindrical and has a body 14 and a rib 15 formed by five segments.

The body 14 has two main faces 16 and 17 and a side face 18 that connects said main faces to each other. A central tubular cavity 19 and five cavities 20 surrounding that central cavity 19 are formed in the body.

In each of the cavities 20 a transfer element 3 is received, those cavities being introduced in the faces 16 and 17, as well as in the face 18 to form a sliding track in which the transfer element is adapted to accommodate in it to slide.

At the end of each cavity 20 an annular groove 21 is formed in the body 14.

The central cavity 19 also leaves the faces 16 and 17, and has three tubular portions 22, 23, 24 that allow the passage of an axis of the handle 5 whose end is threaded to be screwed to the coupling 4.

The rib 15 of the store is interrupted in each cavity 20 and thus has five segments located in the vicinity of the face 17 and extends from the edge of a cavity 20 to the neighboring cavity.

A transfer unit 3 is described below with reference to Figures 1 to 9.

Each transfer unit 3 comprises a tube 30, a needle 31, a partition 32, a drive unit 33 for actuating the needle 31 and a washer 34.

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The needle 31 has a central portion 35, and on the respective opposite sides of that portion, an end portion 36 and an end portion 37 that delimit a channel 38 inside that needle.

The portion 36 is applied in the tube 30 and is provided with a set of teeth 39 to hold that portion in the tube

5 30. The portion 36 leaves an opening 40 inside the tube 30.

The portion 37 is applied to the partition 32 and is provided with a set of teeth 41 to hold that portion in the partition 32. That portion 37 is provided with a tip 42 to pierce the partition with the movement of the needle and a side opening 43 which gives access to channel 38.

10 The tube 30 delimits a channel 29 that communicates with the channel 38 through the opening 40, the needle 31 and the tube 30 together forming a conduit 45 for the transfer of liquid from the container to, for example, a series of bags for filling . That conduit 45 is substantially rectilinear in the entire length of the section that is received in the cavity 20.

fifteen The tube 30 leaves the cavity 20 on the opposite side 17 from the face 16 and continues with a tubular portion that connects with an extraction bag.

The partition 32 is made of silicone and comprises a solid portion in the form of a disk 50, a first tubular portion 51, 20 a second tubular portion 52 and a conical trunk portion 53.

The frustoconical portion 53 is located between the tubular portions 51 and 52, while the tubular portion 51 is located between the disk 50 and the frustoconical portion 53.

25 The inner diameters of the portions 51 and 52 are the same, while the outer diameter of the portion 51 is larger than that of the portion 52, thus being that portion thicker than the portion 52.

The tubular portion 51 is attached to the disk 50, while focusing in relation thereto.

30 The portions 51 to 53 thus form a sleeve in which the needle portion 37 is received, the edge of the portion 52 resting with the edge of the central portion 35 of the needle.

The disk-shaped portion 50 is the portion of the partition that is pressed into a corresponding opening 7 (Figure 1) against the wall 6 of the container when the handle 5 is threaded into the coupling 4 in order to provide the sealing seal. of that opening until the portion 50 is pierced by the needle 31.

The washer 34 surrounds the tubular portion 51 and is accommodated, when the transfer element is placed in a cavity 20 of the warehouse, in an annular groove 21 that coincides with that washer 34 and with the disk 50, which are against each other.

40 The washer is made of a material that is sturdy and rigid in order to provide homogeneous compression of the disk 50 against the wall 6 of the container 8 in order to ensure the tight connection of the warehouse with that container.

Four. Five The drive unit 33 comprises a tubular body 60, a flexible arm 61 and an actuation flange 62. The body 60 is connected to the flange 62 through the flexible arm 61. The body 60 partially surrounds the portion 52 of the partition and by therefore the portion 37 of the needle completely surrounds the central tubular portion 35 and also partially surrounds the portion 38.

fifty This drive unit 33 also has a reinforcing rib 63 between the flange 62 and the arm 61, as well as reinforcing ribs 64 between the arm 61 and the body 60 (Figure 6) in order to ensure sufficient mechanical strength when the operator It acts on unity.

The drive unit 33, the partition 32 and the duct 45 are produced by molding these members about each other.

The arm 61 and the flange 62 form the blocking means adapted to cooperate with a corresponding segment of the nerve 15, such that this cooperation is carried out in a location of the warehouse 2, which is different from the location by which the duct 45 exits cavity 20, at the opposite end of the needle

60 31 (on side 17 of the warehouse).

The assembly of a transfer element 3 in the store 2 is carried out by inserting that element into the cavity 20 from the side where the cavity opening is located, which is located on the face 16, and then , sliding that element in the direction that goes from face 16 to face 17.

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The portion 65 of the flange 62, therefore, rests against the edge 26 of the rib 15 by actuating the radial displacement of the flange 62 by the elastic deformation of the arm 61, thereby removing the portion 65 of that flange from the edge 26 to pass over that nerve until it has passed and arrive, by the elastic return of the arm 61, on the same side as, and oriented to, the opposite edge 25 of that nerve to the edge

26.

In that waiting position illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the transfer element 3 is thus blocked by the hitch of the warehouse inside the cavity 20, the washer 34 is applied in the annular groove 21 and only the portion 50 of the disk is projected from the face 16 of the store 2. The needle 31 is completely housed in the cavity 20, the portion 37 of the needle being completely located inside the sleeve delimited by the tubular portions 51, 52 and 53 of the partition.

Once the transfer element has been assembled in this way, the drive unit makes it possible to pass the needle 31 of that element from its waiting position to a working position that allows the transfer of the liquid illustrated in Figures 6 and 7.

In this working position of the transfer element 3, the tip 42 and a part of the opening 43 of the needle portion 37 project from the disk 50 so that that part of the opening 43 projecting from that disk is communicates with the inside of the container.

In this position, the part of the tubular portion 52 of the partition 32 that is not covered by the tubular body 60 of the unit 33 bends in the form of a bellows between the body 60 and the tubular portion 51.

In this position, the part 65 of the flange 62 is again oriented and against the edge 26 of the rib 15, pressed against that rib by the deformed partition 32, such that the needle is kept locked by hooking in its position of job.

To move from the waiting position to the working position, the operator lifts the tab 62 by pressing on its face 66 in order to deform the flexible arm 61 to radially separate the portion 65 of that tab from the edge 25 of the corresponding segment of the Nerve 15 of the warehouse. The operator also presses on that face 66 towards the container 8 to drive the movement of the drive unit 33 and with it the needle 31. During the movement of the needle 31, the tip 42 of that needle comes to press, and then pierce, the silicone disk 50 of the partition in its center.

The operator continues that movement until the needle reaches its working position and then releases the flange so that the portion 65 of that flange is positioned in its position oriented to the edge 26 of the rib 15 by the elastic return of the arm 6.

The radial displacement of the flange 66 in relation to the needle 31 produced by the arm 61 allows the flange to have dimensions that allow it to be handled in good condition and, in particular, in order to pierce the partition without having to exert too much effort due to the large contact surface 66 of that flange.

When the needle is thus placed in its working position, it is possible to make the liquid pass from the container to reach one or more bags connected from the opposite end of the tube 30 to the needle 31.

On the contrary, and to insulate the bags once more with respect to the container, it is also possible to pass the needle again from its working position to its waiting position, having the disc material 50, which here is silicone, properties enough elastic so that it can be tightly closed on itself again after needle removal, even though it has been pierced.

Therefore, the needle 31 and the tube 30 are, once again, isolated from the inside of the container to prevent the liquid contained in the container from circulating through the needle, thus avoiding any risk of contamination by germs that could return to the vessel through transfer element 3 if it is not returned to its waiting position.

A description of a bag arrangement for connecting to a transfer element 3 for extracting a liquid will then be provided with the aid of Figure 10.

This arrangement 70 has a plurality of bags of 71 arranged in series. Each bag is formed by two thermoplastic sheets sealed to each other by a weld bead 72 delimiting a reservoir 3. The bags are connected to each other by separable edges 76 and 77. Each bag is provided with an end piece 74 (here a tube section), which allows the corresponding tank 73 to be filled and an end piece 75 (also a tube section) connected to the end piece 74 of the next neighboring bag (and formed from a single piece in the illustrated example) to allow the passage of liquid from one bag to the other. The extreme piece 74 of the first bag

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of the bag series 70 is connected to the tube 30 of a transfer element 3, while a cap 83 is applied to the end piece 75 of the last bag.

The transfer element 3 is also packaged in a bag (not illustrated) inside which is arranged to avoid any risk of contamination, while not being used, only element 3 being removed from the bag, just before being installed in a cavity 20 of a warehouse 2.

Each bag also has, at the opposite end to the location of the end pieces 74 and 75, an end piece 78 for draining the tank 73, one end of which leaves the tank 73 and the other end of which leaves a space 79 located between the two thermoplastic sheets, which are closed but not welded.

At the edge of the bags that is adjacent to the end pieces 74 and 75, an extruded profile member 80 adapted to be received in a channel member 81 is also attached to the bags in order to keep the bags horizontal, these having Channel members 81 at their ends a portion of elbow that is received in a receiving vessel 82.

When the transfer element 3 is applied to its working position, the liquid leaving the container passes through the needle 31, then through the tube 30 to enter the end piece 74 of the first bag into the tank 73 of that bag. That reservoir 73 is filled and the liquid, once the reservoir has been filled, continues to flow through the second reservoir circulating through the end piece 75 of the previous bag and so on until it reaches the last bag 71.

The operator stops the flow of the liquid (returning the transfer element from its working position to its waiting position) as soon as it observes that the liquid occupies the tank 73 of the last bag 71 of the bag series, indicating that All the previous bags are already filled with liquid and free of air.

The flow of the liquid stops before the last bag is completely full in order to avoid any risk of breakage, using that last bag as an indicator of the filling of the previous bags.

It is then possible to recover the bags one by one with the use of a tool (not illustrated) adapted to seal the end pieces 74 and 75 by heating.

The contents of each bag can be extracted by separating the two thermoplastic sheets from one another to clear access to the space 79 to the extraction end piece 78 in order to connect an extraction device, such as a syringe, to that end piece.

Another arrangement of the bags is illustrated in Figures 11 to 13.

In general, the same reference numbers increased by 100 are used for similar items.

The arrangement 170 illustrated in these figures is formed by a plurality of bags 171, arranged one after the other, in order to fill them successively.

Each bag 171 is provided with a pierceable valve 185.

This valve has a first body 186, a second body 187, as well as a pierceable silicone partition 188 to allow the removal of the liquid once the bag has been filled.

The partition 188 is compressed between the body 186 and 187, with the faces of the body 186 and the partition 188 that are turned outwardly of the bag which is covered by a detachable protective film 189. A metal tube 190 partially surrounds each pair of end pieces 174 and 175 (which are formed as a single piece in the illustrated example), as well as the end piece 174 that connects to the tube 30.

A barcode 191 for identification is also present in each bag.

The bags are separated from each other by means of crimping pliers 95 illustrated in Figure 13, which are provided for cutting by crushing the tubes 190 in order to provide the sealing disconnection of the bags from one another by compression of the extreme pieces 174 and 175.

All bags can have a tank of the same capacity as in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 10

or variable capacities of one bag with another as in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 11 to 13, depending on the conformation of the weld bead of each bag.

As a variant, the locking means of the drive unit are adapted only to lock in the waiting position and / or those locking means are not hooking means, but any other type of locking means.

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In another variant, the means for transferring is not a liquid but, for example, a gas that must be extracted to analyze

or any other type of fluid medium. It should also be noted that the device according to the invention

makes it possible to carry out the transfer of a medium not necessarily from the container to the bags, but also, for example, from a prefilled bag with a medium to a container.

The device according to the invention is also intended for the transfer of a medium into or from any type of container other than a tank, such as containers with flexible walls, such as a bag or a pipe, a connector being mounted on these containers adapted to cooperate with a

10 warehouse.

The present invention is not limited to the described and represented embodiments, but includes any variant form thereof.

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