Apparatus for collecting cultures

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APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING CULTURES

RELATED CASES

This is a division of application Ser. No. 781,298 filed 5 Mar. 25, 1977, U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,483, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 589;521, filed June 23, 1975, U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,746, which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 358,350, filed May 8, 1973, U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,954. 10

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a swabbing method and apparatus for use by physicians and technicians for collecting a culture as from various areas of a patient's 15 body, such as the ears, the nose and throat, and for keeping a culture moist and alive for a period of time after it is collected or for use in identifying the bacteria of the culture.

In general, this is accomplished through the use of a 20 container which receives the culture-carrying swab and bathes the swab in a culture-sustaining liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,129—Avery et al discloses a particular container unit for this purpose. The container carries its own supply of liquid in a frangible ampoule along with 25 a swab, all of which is packaged in a sanitary wrapper. After the swab has been removed from the wrapper and container and a culture has been taken, the sWab is inserted back into the container, a cap is applied to the end of the container and the frangible ampoule is broken 30 so as to bathe the absorbent tip of the swab in the culture-sustaining liquid which was encapsulated in the ampoule.

Another container is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,220—Monaghan. The container also carries its 35 own sealed supply of liquid below a first sealed area in the tube and the swab itself, prior to use, is located in the tube such that the absorbent tip is positioned immediately above the sealed area and below a restricted area. After the culture is taken, the swab is reinserted 40 into the container, through the restricted area and the sealed area so as to reach the culture-sustaining liquid at the bottom of the tube. The sealed area immediately above the culture-sustaining liquid no longer forms a seal but permits air to enter the area of the absorbent tip 45 and the culture-sustaining liquid.

Another container is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,163,160-Cohen which utilizes a member including a valve initially positioned above the culture-sustaining liquid. After the culture has been taken, the bottom of 50 the container may be squeezed so as to force the culture-sustaining liquid upwardly through the valve into saturating contact with the absorbent tip of the swab. There is no movement of the valve member in response to movement of the swab or the absorbent tip. In fact, 55 the absorbent tip of the swab does not contact the valve member.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,303-Pickering discloses a flexible swab container in combination with a clip which may be utilized to form a seal between the flexible container 60 and the elongated member which extends to the absorbent tip of the swab which is submersed in a culture-sustaining liquid. Still another sampling unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,043-Ingvorsen.

German Pat. No. 285,835 discloses a container in- 65 eluding a valve member for use in moistening a swab with a disinfecting liquid. However, the swab itself is not used to force the plug through the disinfecting liq

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uid. Rather, a plunger connected to the plug from the other side of the swab moves the plug through a tube.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,653-Coleman discloses a plug having a valve for serum separation. It does not however suggest that such a valve could be utilized in combination with a swab stick to control the introduction of a culture-sustaining liquid into contact with the absorbent tip of the swab.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a general object of this invention to provide new and improved apparatus for collecting cultures.

In accordance with one important aspect of the invention, the apparatus comprises a movable piston member extending across the tubular container and in sealing engagement with both sides thereof between the closed end and the barrier member. The piston member is movable through the culture-sustaining liquid toward the closed end when the swab is in pushing contact with the piston member. The piston member includes a valve means for allowing the culture-sustaining liquid to pass from a chamber formed between the closed end and the piston member and enter the chamber within the piston member when the swab is in pushing contact with the piston member.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the valve means comprises a flange which forms a seal with the hollow tubular container while also allowing the culture medium to pass into the chamber.

In accordance with another important aspect of the invention, the absorbent tip of the swab may be inserted into and withdrawn from the chamber without substantially moving the piston member or the barrier member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a culture collecting apparatus embodying the invention in its wrapper;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the culture collecting apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2a is an enlarged view of a valve in the plug of the culture collecting apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 2b is a partial elevational view of the markings on the container tube shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 after the culture-carrying swab has been sealed into its container tube;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a piston member or plug which may be utilized in the apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a culture collecting apparatus representing another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a culture collecting apparatus representing still another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6a is a sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 6 after the swab has been inserted into the culture-sustaining or transport position;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a culture collecting apparatus representing a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a culture collecting apparatus representing still a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a culture collecting apparatus which represents another embodiment of this invention;

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FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 during opening;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 at a subsequent time during opening;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the embodiment shown 5 in FIG. 9 during the last stage of opening;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 9 after use of the swab and during insertion of the swab back into the container;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the apparatus shown in 10 FIG. 9 after use and during saturation of the absorbent tip of the swab in the culture-sustaining medium;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 9 showing another mode of use of the apparatus;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged sectional view of the chamber 15 shown in the apparatus of FIGS. 10-15 which receives the absorbent tip of the swab;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged sectional view of a chamber in an anaerobic apparatus representing another embodiment of the invention; 20

FIG. 18 is an enlarged sectional view of the terminal bulbous portion of the swab which is received by the cap in the apparatus shown in FIGS. 10-15;

FIG. 19 is a flexible tape-like member which forms the seal between the container and the cap shown in 25 FIG. 9;

FIG. 20 is a sectional view of a culture collecting apparatus representing a still further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged view of the portion of the 30 collection apparatus of FIG. 20 which forms the chamber receiving the absorbent tip;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged sectional view of the bulbous portion of the swab shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is an end view of the member shown in FIG. 35 21;

FIG. 24 is an elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 20 showing an adhesive label-like member joining the cap and the hollow container;

FIG. 25 is a sectional view taken along lines 25—25 40 of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a sectional view of the modified bulbous portion shown in FIG. 22;

FIG. 27 is an enlarged sectional view of the end of the elongated member of the swab shown in FIG. 20; 45

FIG. 28(a, b & c) are sectional views of alternative means for forming seals between the elongated member and the barrier member; and

FIG. 29 is a sectional view of an alternative cap which may be used with the container of FIG. 20. 50

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED
EMBODIMENTS

A swabbing apparatus 10 constructed in accordance with this invention for use in obtaining cultures is en- 55 closed within a wrapper 12 comprising paper or the like as shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus 10, which has been removed from the wrapper 12 of FIG. 1, comprises a container tube 14 and a closure member or cap 16 which is not sealed to the upper and 60 open end 18 of the tube 14. The tube 14 contains a culture-sustaining liquid 20 within a chamber formed at the closed end or bottom 22 of the tube 14 and remains isolated from a swab 24 comprising an elongated member or stick 26 and an absorbent tip 28. This isolation is 65 achieved by a piston-like plug 30 comprising a substantially resilient material such as rubber or plastic so as to resiliently and sealingly engage the walls of the tube 14.

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The plug 30 includes a one-way valve 32 which allows the liquid 20 to flow through an opening in the plug 30 when the plug is forced downwardly into the liquid 20 but maintains substantial physical isolation between the absorbent tip 28 of the swab 24 and a culture-sustaining liquid when the plug 30 is in the position shown in FIG. 2.

The tube 14 also contains an inner tube 34 on which the cap 16 (the cap is shown as shortened in length because of space limitations of the drawings) is resting which forms a chamber spaced and isolated from the sides of the tube and within which the swab 24 is located. An absorbent material 36 such as cotton, rayon or a foam is located within the chamber formed by tube 34 supporting the tip 28 above the plug 30.

Once the apparatus 10 has been removed from the wrapper 12 as shown in FIG. 2, the cap 16 may be removed from the upper end of the inner tube 34. A swab 24 may then be grasped between the finer tips at the upper end protruding from the inner tube 34 and removed from the tube 14. At that time, the absorbent tip 28 may be brought into contact with that portion of the body from which a culture is to be taken and reinserted back into the inner tube 34.

At this time, the plug 30 is pushed downwards through the liquid 20 by pressing on the cap 16 which in turn presses on the upper end of the inner tube 34 so as to transmit the downward force therethrough to the plug 30 moving it to the position shown in FIG. 3. Note that the level of the liquid 20 now extends above the bottom of the inner tube 34 so as to saturate the absorbent material 36 and thereby assure that the tip 28 remains moist to keep the culture alive.

In order for the cap 16 to perform this pushing function with respect to the plug 30, the inside of the cap has a particular configuration. An elongated sealing surface 38 is provided which is adapted to engage the outside of the container tube 14 so as to isolate, at least to some degree, the contents of the tube once the surface 38 has been brought into contact with the outside of the tube 14. In addition, the cap 16 includes a shoulder which extends substantially perpendicular to the axis of the cap 16 so as to provide a surface which pushes against the upper end of the tube 34. Finally, the cap 16 includes a recess 40 which receives the upper end of the swab stick 26. The recess 40 has slightly less depth than the protrusion of the swab stick 26 beyond the end of the tube 34 to assure the swab 24 is, to some degree, forced into the cotton 36.

The nature of the one-way isolating valve in the plug 30 is shown in some detail in the enlarged view of FIG. 2a. The valve 32 includes a hole 42 which extends upwardly from the underside of the plug 30. An inclined slit is provided which extends from the upper surface of the plug 30 at one side of the hole 42 down to the upper end of the hole 42 so as to form a flap 46 which is biased to the closed position when the plug 30 is stationary within the liquid 20 and pressure on the opposite side of the plug 30 are substantially equal. It will be understood that the bias to maintain the resilient flap 46 closed even when there is some pressure differential between opposite sides of the plug to be sure that the valve remains closed even when the tube 14 is inverted. For other details relating to the nature of this valve, reference is made to the inventor's own U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,265.

In accordance with another important aspect of the invention, a culture-sustaining liquid may be periodically introduced into the area above the plug 30 so as to