US 12,128,412 B2
Specimen container for specimen pre-processing
James Bennett, Tyne and Wear (GB); Neil Litten, Reading (GB); Richard Smith, Sandy (GB); and Julian Brandon-Jones, Whittlesford (GB)
Assigned to QUANTUMDX GROUP LIMITED, Newcastle Upon Tyne (GB)
Appl. No. 17/593,167
Filed by QUANTUMDX GROUP LIMITED, Tyne and Wear (GB)
PCT Filed Mar. 9, 2020, PCT No. PCT/GB2020/050554
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 10, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/183141, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 17, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1903401 (GB), filed on Mar. 12, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0184608 A1, Jun. 16, 2022
Int. Cl. B01L 3/00 (2006.01); A61B 10/00 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/5029 (2013.01) [A61B 10/0096 (2013.01); B01L 2300/042 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0672 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0832 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0683 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A specimen container comprising:
a vessel comprising a reservoir and a specimen collection region; and
a sleeve located within the vessel and configured to move in a direction of the reservoir; and
a lid for the vessel;
wherein the vessel and sleeve are configured to bring the specimen collection region and the reservoir into fluid communication with each other with movement of the sleeve in the direction of the reservoir,
wherein the sleeve has a first configuration in which movement towards the reservoir cannot occur, and a second configuration in which movement towards the reservoir can occur, wherein the sleeve is arranged such that it is biased towards the first configuration, and
wherein the lid is configured to contact and deform an integral portion of the sleeve to switch the sleeve from the first configuration to the second configuration with insertion into the vessel,
wherein the integral portion of the sleeve comprises an outwardly extending leg portion configured to rest against an interior surface of the vessel in the first configuration,
wherein the lid is configured to depress the leg portion during insertion into the vessel to switch the sleeve from the first configuration to the second configuration, and
wherein the interior surface of the vessel comprises at least one protruding abutment surface and the leg portion is arranged to rest on the at least one abutment surface in the first configuration.