EP0339143A1 - Test tube rack assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A test tube rack assembly is disclosed which features a flat base (2) and likewise flat upper and lower test tube support members (32,30) of a suitable plastic material. The base has ends (8,10) and sides (12,14) which are bent substantially normal to its bottom and include apertures (26,28) for receiving tabs (44,42) on the upper and lower support members (32,30) whereby said members are snapped into the base so as to be removeably supported thereby. With the disclosed arrangement the base member (2) and upper and lower support members (32,30) may be stored and shipped in the flat state so as to reduce storage space and shipping costs, and the test tube rack assembly may accommodate a variety of test tube quantities and sizes, as is desireable.

Description

• This invention relates to a test tube rack assembly featuring upper and lower test tube support members, and a base for removeably supporting said members.
• Test tube racks are basic equipment in laboratories and the like and serve to hold test tubes during various analytical and processing procedures. In this regard, and for purposes of illustration, reference is made to Catalog 283 published by Bel-Art Products, Inc., Pequannock, New Jersey, wherein a variety of test tube racks are illustrated and described.
• Currently available test tube racks are generally of a unitary construction. This requires more storage space than is desireable and increases shipping costs, as the case may be. Further the test tube support portions of these racks are not removeable which detracts from their versatility in accommodating a variety of test tube sizes and desired holding capacities. Moreover, if the racks are of a molded plastic material as is common in the art, the molds for such unitary racks are costly and add to the ultimate cost of the rack.
• Accordingly, a need has been recognized for a test tube rack which overcomes the aforenoted disadvantages of the prior art test tube racks. The test tube rack assembly of the present invention satisfies this need.
• This invention contemplates a test tube rack assembly including a base which removeably supports upper and lower test tube support members. The base is fabricated as a flat member having ends and sides which are bendable substantially normal to the bottom of the base. The upper and lower support members have discretely spaced tabs which are received in snap-fit relation in corresponding discretely spaced apertures in the bent ends and sides of the base.
• The bottom of the base is a flat open grid. The upper and lower support members are flat open grids corresponding in size and pattern so that a plurality of test tubes fit through said grids for being supported by said upper and lower support members. Since the base and support members may be shipped and stored flat, shipping costs and storage space are reduced.
• The upper and lower support members are thus remove­able, whereby the base can support a variety of said members having grids of a variety of corresponding sizes and patterns.
• The Invention will be more fully understood in the light of the following description of an embodiment of the invention
• Figure 1 is a plan view of a base for a test tube rack according to the invention.
• Figure 2 is an exploded view showing the sides and ends of the base shown in Figure 1 bent normal to the bottom thereof, and further showing upper and lower test tube support members according to the invention.
• With reference to the drawing, a test tube rack base is designated by thenumeral 2.Base 2 has a solidcircum­ferential frame 4 surrounding anopen grid 6 which serves as the bottom of the base as will hereinafter become evident.
• End members 8 and 10 extend from the one and the opposite ends offrame 4 andside members 12 and 14 extend from the one and the opposite sides of said frame.Side members 12 and 14 each include a pair of U-shapedmembers 16 and 18 and 20 and 22, respectively. U-shapedmembers 16 and 18 are in spaced relation and are disposed near the ends ofside member 12 and U-shapedmembers 20 and 22 are in corresponding spaced relation and are disposed near the ends ofside member 14.
• End members 8 and 10 have substantially rectangular relativelylarge openings 24 and 25, respectively, extending therethrough for purposes which will be hereinafter described.
• End members 8 and 10 have a plurality (shown as four in number for illustration purposes) of horizontally and verti­cally aligned relatively small, substantially rectangular, discretely spaced upper and lower apertures such as 26. U-­shapedmembers 16 and 18 ofside member 12 and 20 and 22 ofside member 14 likewise have a plurality (shown as four in number for illustration purposes) of horizontally and verti­cally aligned relatively small, discretely spaced substan­tially rectangular, upper and lower apertures such as 28.Apertures 26 and 28 have a purpose which will be hereinafter described.
• With particular reference to Figure 1,base 2 is molded as a flat member of a suitable plastic material such as polypropylene with a ten percent talc content for weighting purposes. In forming the test tube rack,ends 8 and 10 andsides 12 and 14 are bent so as to be substantially normal tobottom 6 as shown in Figure 2. In this regard it will be understood thatends 8 and 10 andsides 12 and 14 extend frombase frame 4 so as to form a natural hinge therewith as at 15 and 17, whereby the aforenoted bending is facilitated as is well known in the plastics fabrication art.
• With reference to Figure 2, a lower test tube support member is designated by thenumeral 30 and an upper test tube support member is designated by thenumeral 32.Support members 30 and 32 include solidcircumferential frames 34 and 36, respectively, surroundingopen grids 38 and 40, respectively. The size and pattern ofgrid 38 and the size and pattern ofgrid 40 must coincide as will be hereinafter more fully explained.
• Frame 34 has a plurality ofshouldered tabs 42 spaced circumferentially therearound andframe 40 has a corres­ponding plurality oflike tabs 44 likewise spaced circum­ferentially therearound.Tabs 42 and 44 are spaced so as to correspond to the spacing of lower andupper apertures 26 inbase end members 8 and 10, respectively and lower andupper apertures 28 inbase side members 12 and 14, respectively.
• As particularly shown in Figure 2, in providing the test tube rack assembly of the invention, lower testtube support member 30 is disposed betweenbase end members 8 and andbase side members 12 and 14 so thattabs 42 are aligned withlower apertures 26 and 28. Thereupontabs 42 are snapped into saidapertures 26 and 28 so thatlower support member 38 is supported on its ends and sides by the ends and sides ofbase 2. Similarly, upper testtube support member 32 is disposed betweenbase end members 8 and 10 andside members 12 and 14 so thattabs 44 are aligned withupper apertures 26 and 28, whereupon said tabs are snapped into said apertures so thatupper support member 40 is supported on its ends and sides bybase 2 abovelower support member 30.
• As heretofore noted the spacing and pattern of lower and uppersupport member grids 38 and 40 must correspond so that test tubes to be supported thereby are axially displaced first through uppersupport member grid 40 and then through lowersupport member grid 38. The spacing and pattern ofbase grid 6 need not correspond to that ofgrids 38 and 40 since the purpose ofgrid 6 is merely for draining or the like as will now be understood by those skilled in the art.
• Openings 24 and 25 inend members 8 and 10 ofbase 2 are for handling purposes, whereby the rack assembly can be easily grasped.
• It will now be understood that withbase member 2 provided as aforenoted, supportmembers 38 and 40 may be removeably assembled to the base member. Thus,base member 2 accommodates a variety of pairs of lower and upper support members such as 38 and 40, each pair having a different but corresponding grid spacing and pattern to support more or less test tubes of larger or smaller sizes, as the case may be.
• In further description of the invention it will be understood that the described assembly features ease of manufacture and maximum versatility. Further, the fabrication of the invention, which in the preferred embodiment thereof is of a molded plastic construction as aforenoted, is simplified. Thus,base member 2,lower support member 38 andupper support member 40 may be molded as flat members to reduce mold costs. Further, these members may be stored and shipped in the flat state to reduce required storage space and shipping costs as will now be understood. The test tube rack as described is easily cleaned and is readily autoclavable as is desirable.
• With the above description of the invention in mind reference is made to the claims appended hereto for a definition of the scope of the invention.

Claims (7)

1. A test tube rack assembly, comprising:
a base (2) including a bottom (4,6), oppositely disposed end members (8,10) and oppositely disposed side members (12,14);
the end (8,10) and side (12,14) members being substantially normal to the bottom (4,6), and each of said end and side members carrying a plurality of discretely spaced, horizontally and vertically aligned upper and lower apertures (26,28)
an upper test tube support member (32) having a plurality of tabs (44) spaced so as to correspond to the spacing of the upper apertures (26,28);
a lower test tube support member (30) having a plurality of tabs (42) spaced so as to correspond to the spacing of the lower apertures (26,28); and
the upper (32) and lower (30) test tube support members being disposed between the end (8,10) and side (12,14) members, whereupon the tabs of said upper and lower support members are received in snap fit relation by the respective upper and lower apertures so that said support members are removeably supported by the base (2).

2. A test tube rack assembly as described by claim 1, wherein:
the upper and lower support members (32,30) include flat open grids (38,40) corresponding in size and pattern for supporting test tubes axially displaced first through the grid of the upper support member and then through the grid of the lower support member.

3. A test tube rack assembly as described by claim 1, wherein:
the base (2) is initally flat and of a material so that the end (8,10) and side (12,14) members extend in a natural hinge arrangement from the bottom thereof, whereby said end and side members are bent substantially normal to said bottom.

4. A test tube rack assembly as described by claim 3, wherein:
the bottom (4,6) includes a flat open grid (6).

5. A test tube rack assembly as described by claim 1, wherein:
the side members (12,14) each include a pair of U-shaped members (16,18;20,22) disposed in spaced relation near the ends of the side members; and
the apertures (28) carried by the side members (12,14) being carried by the U-shaped members (16,18;20,22).

6. A test tube rack assembly as described by claim 1, wherein:
each of said end members (8,10) includes an opening (24,25) for grasping the test tube rack assembly.

7. A test tube rack assembly, comprising:
a base (2) including a bottom (4,6), oppositely disposed end members (8,10) and oppositely disposed side members (12,14);
the base (2) initially flat and of a material so that the end (8,10) and side (12,14) members extend in a natural hinge arrangement from the bottom (4,6) thereof, whereby said end and side members are bent substantially normal to the bottom;
the bottom includes a flat open grid (6);
upper and lower support members (32,34) including flat open grids (40,38) corresponding in size and pattern;
each of said end (8,10) and side (12,14) members carrying a plurality of discretely spaced, horizontally and vertically aligned upper and lower apertures (26,28);
the upper support member (32) including a plurality of tabs (42) spaced so as to correspond to the spacing of the lower apertures (26,28); and
the lower support member (30) including a plurality of tabs (42) spaced so as to correspond to the spacing of the lower apertures (26,28); and
the upper and lower support members (32,30) being disposed between the bent end (8,10) and side (12,14) members, whereupon the tabs (44,42) of said upper and lower support members (32,30) are received in snap fit relation by the respective upper and lower apertures (26,28) so that said support members (32,30) are removeably supported by the base (2).

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