US3633566A - Blood collecting method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

A blood specimen collecting device comprising means for holding conventional evacuated test tubes, each such tube being sealed with a conventional rubberlike stopper, hollow needle means for penetrating through such stoppers and into such tubes, a veinpuncturing hollow needle, and flexible tube means for connecting the needle means to the vein-puncturing needle. The means for holding the tubes is arranged so that the stoppers face the needle means, and drive means is arranged to provide relative reciprocation between the needle means and the tube holding means to cause the needle means to penetrate through such stoppers. In many cases, such tubes contain materials, such as preservatives, coagulants and anticoagulants, with which the blood must be thoroughly mixed promptly after or immediately as soon as it is withdrawn from the vein. Thus, the device includes means for gently oscillating such tubes while blood is being drawn therein.

Description

United States Patent 72] Inventor Robert H. Grabhorn Greenwood, Ind.

[21] Appl. No. 824,977

[22] Filed May 15, 1969 [45] Patented Jan. 11, 1972 [73] Assignee Systematiks, Inc.

Indianapolis, Ind.

[54] BLOOD COLLECTING METHOD ANDDEVICE 12 Claims, 13 Drawing Figs.

3,405,706 10/1968 Cingualbre 128/2 Primary Examiner-Warner H. Camp Attorney-Hood. Gust, lrish. Lundy & Coffey ABSTRACT: A blood specimen collecting device comprising means for holding conventional evacuated test tubes, each such tube being sealed with a conventional rubberlike stopper. hollow needle means for penetrating through such stoppers and into such tubes, a vein-puncturing hollow needle. and flexible tube means for connecting the needle means to the vein-puncturing needle. The means for holding the tubes is arranged so that the stoppers face the needle means. and drive means is arranged to provide relative reciprocation between the needle means and the tube holding means to cause the needle means to penetrate through such stoppers. in many cases, such tubes contain materials, such as preservatives, coagulants and anticoagulants, with which the blood must be thoroughly mixed promptly after or immediately as soon as it is withdrawn from the vein. Thus, the device includes means for gently oscillating such tubes while blood is being drawn therein.

PATENTEB 33H! 1 I972 SHEEI 1 UF 4 E V m ROBERT FLG RAB HORN PATENTED m1 1 m2 3L633566 SHEET 2 OF 4 V INVENTOR. ROBERT H.GRABHORN zsawwww ATTORNEYS PATENTED JAN 1 i972 SHEET 3 OF 4 INVENTOR.

ROBERT H GRABHORN wawz w/flw ATTO R NEYS PATENTEUJANI 1 an 3633566 saw a or 4 INVENTOR. ROBERT HGRABHORN MYM ATTORNEYS BLOOD COLLECTING METHOD AND DEVICE My invention relates to the collection of blood specimens, and more particularly to the provision of a device for collecting blood specimens from a person's vein, which specimens are usable for testing the blood. My invention does not relate to the taking of blood for use in. transfusions.

My device is designed for use with conventional evacuated blood test tubes, each of which is sealed with a conventional rubber or rubberlike sealing stopper. The use of such conventional evacuated test tubes for collecting blood specimens is well known. Specifically, it is common practice to take several blood specimens from a person by sticking the forward end of a double-ended hollow needle into one of the persons veins and then sequentially pushing the rear end of the needle into and through the sealing stoppers of the requisite number of tubes. While this practice is widely used, it suffers from several disadvantages. First of all, the forward end of the doubleended needle is left in the persons vein during the entire process while the requisite number of tubes are at least partially filled with blood. This means that the stoppers of such tubes must be pushed onto and pulled from the rear end of the double-ended needle while the forward end of the needle is extending into the vein. An inexperienced nurse or technician may accidentally shift the forward end of the needle seriously to damage the vein wall, In fact even an experienced nurse or technician may damage the vein with the forward end of the needle if the person from whom the blood specimens are being taken jerks or moves suddenly. Further, as will be discussed hereinafter, conventional devices do not facilitate proper agitation ofthe blood specimens.

My apparatus is constructed so that several of such tubes can be either simultaneously or sequentially filled without, in any way, manipulating or moving the needle which punctures and extends into the vein. Specifically, it is my concept to provide a veimpuncturing needle which is connected by means of a flexible tube to means for admitting the blood to the evacuated tubes.

Thus, my blood specimen collecting device, broadly speaking, comprises means for holding conventional evacuated test tubes, each of which is sealed with a conventional stopper, hollow needle means for penetrating through such stoppers and into such tubes, a vein-puncturing hollow needle, and flexible tube means for connecting the needle means to the vein-puncturing needle. The tube holding means of my device is arranged so that the stoppers of the tubes face the needle means. I provide drive means for producing relative reciprocation between the needle means and the tube holding means to cause the needle means to penetrate through such stoppers.

I have constructed my device in such a manner that the several tubes into which the blood is to be deposited and the needle means for puncturing through the stoppers of the tubes may be out of the sight of the person from whom the blood is to be taken. I prefer to use an electrically operated drive means for causing the needle means to penetrate through the stoppers so that a technician may merely insert the vein-puncturing needle into the vein and then operate a switch to cause the needle means to penetrate through the stoppers.

In one embodiment of my invention, the needle means for penetrating the stopper includes a single hollow needle which is connected by the flexible tube means to the vein-puncturing needle, and this single needle is sequentially penetrated through the stoppers of the desired number of tubes. In another embodiment of my invention, the needle means includes a plurality of hollow needles, each of which is connected to the vein-puncturing needle by the flexible tube means. In this embodiment, my drive means is arranged simultaneously to penetrate each of the hollow needles of the needle means through, respectively, the stoppers of the tubes.

One preferred embodiment of my invention is a device which is constructed within a small casing the upper surface of which provides a padded resting place for the arm of the person from whom blood is to be taken. My device can be placed by a seat in a doctors office or in a laboratory and it can be stylishly decorated so as not to appear to be a clinical instrument. When a person sits in the seat and places an arm upon the padded surface of my device, the nurse or technician can pull the vein-puncturing needle from a small opening in the side of the device, remove the conventional protective covering from the needle, insert the forward end of the needle into the vein of the arm and then quickly operate the switch which operates the drive means of the device. The person from whom the blood is drawn does not have to see and preferably cannot seen the tubes into which the blood is drawn. In fact, preferably, the person can only see the needle which extends into the vein and a small portion of the flexible tubing leading away from this needle.

In many cases, the evacuated tubes into which the blood is drawn contain materials, such as preservatives, coagulants and anticoagulants, with which the blood must be thoroughly mixed promptly after or immediately as soon as it is withdrawn from the vein. It is well known that, if the blood is not properly mixed with this material, which is usually in powder form, the tests made on the blood may, at best, be inconclusive. Technicians and nurses who take blood specimens are instructed gently to oscillate each evacuated tube after its stopper is pulled off of the rear end of the needle which is extending into the vein. This is, of course, a manual operation which lengthens the process of taking the blood.

The function of gently oscillating the tube for a significant period of time properly to mix the blood with the material contained in the tube cannot be overly emphasized. If the blood is not agitated sufficiently to cause it to mix with the material in the tube, the tests on the blood may be totally inconclusive. If the blood is overly agitated, the blood cells may be damaged to the point where the tests on the blood will be inconclusive. Further, if the blood is not mixed properly with the material in the tube promptly after or, in some cases, immediately as soon as it is drawn into the tube, the tests on the blood may be inconclusive.

In an attempt to obtain proper mixing of the blood with the material disposed in the tube into which the blood is drawn, nurses and technicians are often instructed gently to oscillate the tube after the blood is drawn therein to cause the bubble" in the tube to move from end to end of the tube a specific number of times without breaking or separating. In other words, when blood is drawn into an evacuated tube, there is left a bubble which is analogous to the bubble ofa conventional bubble level. If this bubble in the blood test tube is overly agitated, it will break up into several small segments.

In order to assure that the blood will be immediately and properly mixed with the materials in the tubes into which the blood is drawn, my blood collecting device includes means for continuously and gently oscillating the tubes while the blood is drawn therein and for a predetermined and desired period thereafter. In one preferred embodiment of my device, the drive means which causes the needle means to penetrate the stoppers of the tubes cannot be energized until the means for continuously and gently oscillating the tubes is energized.

Other objects and features of my invention will become apparent as this description progresses.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawings and the method described herein, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings and description are merely illustrative and that changes may be made in the specific constructions illustrated and described and in the methods described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view, partially sectioned, showing one embodiment of my invention;

FIG. la is a schematic showing the type of controls which may be used with the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is an exploded, perspective view showing a cartridge means for holding a plurality of conventional evacuated test tubes, which cartridge means is usable with the embodiment of FIG. 1 as well as other embodiments ofmy invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, partially sectioned, of a generally triangularly shaped cartridge means for holding evacuated test tubes;

FIG. 4 is an exploded, perspective view showing a generally triangularly shaped cartridge for holding the test tubes and the needle means for penetrating through the stoppers of the test tubes;

FIG. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatical view showing a single hollow needle for penetrating through the stoppers of a plurality of tubes held in a generally triangularly shaped cartridge, indexing means for sequentially positioning the stopper of each tube adjacent the single needle and drive means for driving the needle through the stoppers;

FIG. 6 is another somewhat diagrammatical view showing a generally triangularly shaped cartridge holding three such evacuated tubes, a single needle for penetrating through the stoppers of the tubes, indexing means for sequentially moving the needle into position adjacent each of the stoppers, and means for driving the stoppers onto the needle;

FIG. 7 is another somewhat diagrammatical view showing a cartridge, such as in FIG. 2, indexing means for moving the cartridge in a step-by-step manner past a single needle and drive means for penetrating the needle sequentially through each of the stoppers;

FIG. 8 is another somewhat diagrammatical view showing a cartridge, such as in FIG. 2, a single needle, indexing means for moving the needle in a step-by-step manner sequentially to position the needle adjacent each of the stoppers and drive means for driving the stoppers onto the needle;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary, perspective view showing a chuck or chuck means for releasably and rigidly holding a hollow needle which is used to penetrate through a tube stopper;

FIG. 10 shows a chuck means for holding a needle, means for holding a tube so that its stopper faces the needle and means mounting the chuck means for reciprocation toward and away from the stopper;

FIG. 11 is still another somewhat diagrammatical view showing a chuck means for holding a needle which penetrates through stoppers of tubes, a cartridge belt carrying a plurality of such tubes, indexing means for advancing the cartridge belt, means for driving the needle through the stoppers and means for separating each loop of the belt to provide discrete tubes; and

FIG. 12 is a further diagrammatical view showing cartridge means for holding a plurality of tubes, a single needle and drive means for picking a tube from the cartridge means and driving its stopper onto the needle.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be seen that I have illustrated mydevice 10 as comprising ahousing 12 having abottom wall 14, sidewalls 16, 18,end walls 20, 22 and acover 24 which fits down over the sidewalls. Thecover 24 is provided with an upwardly facing, paddedsurface 26 upon which a person may comfortably rest an arm. As illustrated, the cover may be cut away or formed as indicated at 27 and theend wall 22 may be inclined upwardly and inwardly to provide a cavity in which a conventionalelectric switch 28 is located. The purpose of this switch will be discussed in detail hereinafter.

It will be appreciated that thedevice 10 may be as decorative as desired. Thehousing 12, including thecover 24, may be constructed from any suitable material, such as metal or plastic. The total length of thedevice 10 need not be much greater than the length of a person s forearm. The width of the device may be, for instance, 6 inches.

While I have illustrated thecover 24 as being arranged to slip down over the end wall and sidewalls 16, 18, it will be appreciated that the cover may be hingedly mounted in a conventional manner to swing upwardly.

Inside thehousing 12, I provide anelongated platform 30 which my be gently oscillated by means of a conventional electric motor 32. In the illustrative embodiment, me motor 32 is mounted on the bottom I4 and itsoutput shaft 34, which is bent is illustrated, extends upwardly therefrom. Theplatform 30 may be connected to thebent shaft 34 by means such as illustratedbearing 36. theinner race 38 of which is mounted on the upper end of the bent shaft and the outer race 40 of which is connected to the platform. I may provide means such as the illustrated spring means 42 extending between portions of thehousing 12 and theplatform 30 yieldably to hold theplatform 30 in position. Further, I may provide means, such as the illustratedwalls 31, 31' for confining the movement of the platform. Thus, because of the bend in theshaft 34, when the motor 32 is energized to drive the shaft in the direction of thearrow 44, theplatform 30 is oscillated in all directions as indicated by thearrows 46, 48. I prefer that the motor 32 be a relatively low-speed motor so that this oscillation of theplatform 30 will be gentle and smooth. The reason for gently oscillating theplatform 30 is to mix thoroughly the blood drawn into the test tubes with the materials contained therein.

Theplatform 30 provides a longitudinally extending, square-walled trackway 50 and a pair of longitudinally and vertically extendingsidewalls 52, 54, the sidewalls and the trackway providing a guideway for receiving a cartridge 56 (FIGS. 1 and 2) containing, in the illustrative embodiment, three evacuatedblood test tubes 58, 60, 62, each of which is sealed with a conventionalrubberlike stopper 58a, 60a, 62a. As illustrated in FIG. 2, thecartridge 56 may be provided with aguide strip 64 which is slidably received in thetrackway 50 to guide the cartridge for movement along theplatform 30.

I provide apusher plate 68 which is arranged for reciprocation in the guideway provided bysidewalls 52, 54, the pusher plate being provided with a downwardly extending tang 70 which slidably engages thetrackway 50. An internally threadedtube 72 extends rearwardly from thepusher plate 68 as illustrated. In order to drive thepusher plate 68, I provide amotor 74 which is mounted on the rear end of theplatform 30 as illustrated, themotor 74 driving an externally threadedshaft 76 which threadedly engages thetube 72. Thus, when themotor 74 is energized to drive theshaft 76 in one direction, thepusher plate 68 moves in the direction of thearrow 78 and, when themotor 74 is energized to drive theshaft 76 in the opposite direction, thepusher plate 68 moves in the opposite direction.

There is an end member 80 at the forward end of theplatform 30, this member being spaced apart from the forward ends 82, 84 of theguide walls 52, 54. In this space between the member 80 and theends 82, 84 of thewalls 52, 54, I can drop a manifold 86 from which extends three parallel and equally spaced aparthollow needles 88, 90, 92. The manifold 86 is formed with an internal passageway 94 which is in comm unication with theneedles 88, 90, 92. A flexibleplastic tube 96, preferably made from a hemorepellant material, connects the passageway 94 and, therefore, theneedles 88, 90, 92, to a vein-puncturing needle 98. I prefer to provide a gripper on the vein-puncturing needle 98 as illustrated.

In the illustrative embodiments, each end of the manifold 86 is provided with a corner notch for receiving theend 82, 84 of theadjacent wall 52, 54. This is one scheme for holding the manifold 86 in a desired position relative to theplatform 30.

In operation of thedevice 10, the nurse or technician responsible for taking blood specimens will remove the manifold 86 including theneedles 88, 90, 92 from a sanitary package and place the manifold in its illustrated position on theplatform 30. Then, the nurse or technician will drop acartridge 56 into the guideway provided by thetrackway 50 and thesidewalls 52, 54 with thestoppers 58a, 60a, 62a facing theneedles 88, 90, 92. Preferably, as will be appreciated by those familiar with the use of evacuated test tubes, each of theneedles 88, 90, 92 is coaxially aligned with thestopper 58a, 60a, 62:: through which the needle will penetrate. With thecartridge 56 and the manifold 86 in position, the nurse or technician will energize the motor 32 gently to oscillate theplatform 30. Then, after the vein-puncturing needle 98 is inserted in to a vein, themotor 74 may be energized to drive thepusher plate 68 in the direction of thearrow 78 to cause theneedles 88, 90, 92 to penetrate through, respectively, thestoppers 58a, 60a,

Referring now to FIG. 5, it will be seen that I have illustrated one device, indicated generally at 178, for sequentially depositing blood specimens into a plurality of tubes carried in acartridge 146, Thedevice 178 includesmembers 180, 182 for supporting thecartridge 146 for rotation about a journal axis extending parallel to the axes of the tubes carried in the cartridge and equidistantly spaced therefrom. It will be seen that, in the illustrative embodiment, each of thesupport members 180, 182 is provided with a triangularly shaped cutout for receiving and engaging an end portion of thecartridge 146. I have illustrated a rotary steppingdrive motor 184 which is drivingly connected, by means indicated at 186, to thesupport member 180. Thismotor 184, when energized, is arranged to drive themember 180 and thecartridge 146 through 120 step movements about the axis defined by themembers 180, 182. The means by which themembers 180, 182 are mounted as well as themotor 184 and thetransmission 186 may be conventional and need not be discussed, in detail, in this description.

Thedevice 178 further comprises a block or asingle channel manifold 188 which carries a singlehollow needle 190 which is connected through a passageway in the block and aflexible tube 192 to a vein-puncturingneedle 194. Theblock 188 may be a plastic block formed with the passageway providing communication between theneedle 190 and thetube 192 in the same manner that the manifold 86 is formed. Theneedle 190 is preferably held so that it will extend toward thestoppers 154a sealing the tubes carried in thecartridge 146. Specifically, it is desirable that theneedle 190 always be coaxially aligned with one of the tubes in thecartridge 146 carried by thesupport members 180, 182.

In order to drive theneedle 190 sequentially to penetrate through thestopper 154a, I provide adrive motor 196 which may be drivingly connected to theblock 188 by means such as the illustratedgear 198 andrack 200. Specifically, theblock 188 is carried by therack 200 and, when themotor 196 is driven in one direction, theneedle 190 moves in the direction of thearrow 202 and, when the motor is driven the opposite direction, theneedle 190 moves in the direction of thearrow 204.

Preferably, themotor 184, 196,rack 200 and supports 180, 182 are mounted upon anoscillable platform 30, only a fragment of which is shown.

Thus, in the use of thedevice 178, the nurse or technician taking the blood specimens will place thecartridge 146 in thesupport members 180, 182, place theblock 188 in theproportioned cutout 206 in therack 200 and, then, place theneedle 194 into a vein. At that point, the motor for oscillating theplatform 30 is energized and then themotor 196 is energized to move theneedle 190 in the direction of thearrow 202 to penetrate the needle through the coaxially alignedstopper 154a. After a predetermined time, themotor 196 is again energized to move theneedle 190 in the direction of thearrow 204 so that themotor 184 can be energized to rotate the cartridge 146 l to place another in coaxial alignment with theneedle 190, and, thereafter, theneedle 190 is again moved in the direction ofthearrow 202 to deposit blood into the second coaxially aligned tube.

It will be appreciated that I may provide circuit means arranged sequentially to operate theindexing motor 184 and thedrive motor 196 so that the nurse or technician taking the blood specimens need only throw one switch after theneedle 194 is punctured into a vein. Preferably, during the entire blood-drawing operation, theplatform 30 is being gently oscillated to oscillate the tubes in thecartridge 146.

Therack 200 constitutes means for rigidly holding thehollow needle 190 and thecartridge 146 comprises means for supporting a plurality of conventional evacuated test tubes. Themotor 184 andtransmission 186 andsupport member 180, 182 comprise indexing means for providing relative movement between the means which supports theneedle 190 and thecartridge 146. Themotor 196 and thetransmission 198 comprise drive means for providing relative reciprocation 8 between the support means for theneedle 190 and thecartridge 146.

Referring now to FIG. 6, it will be seen that I have illustrated another device, indicated generally at 210, for sequentially depositing blood into a plurality of test tubes. Thisdevice 210 comprises asupport 212 upon which a cartridge 146' may be placed. In the illustrative embodiment, thesupport 212 provides a pair of spaced apart locatingblocks 214, 216 which engagenotches 218, formed in the edges of the cartridge 146' to prevent movement of the cartridge longitudinally, i.e., in the direction of the axes of the tubes in the cartridge, relative to thesupport 212. Theillustrative support 212 is reciprocated longitudinally by adrivescrew 220 which is driven by a motor not shown.

It will be seen that I have illustrated a manifold or block 188' and a singlehollow needle 190 and means for sequentially positioning the needle adjacent thestopper 154a of each of the tubes in thecartridge 146. Specifically, in the illustrative embodiment I provide a rotary-steppingmotor 222 for moving asupport 224 which holds theblock 188 in a step-bystep manner. Themotor 222 preferably moves thesupport 224 in 120 increments.

Thecartridge 146 and thesupport 212 are proportioned and arranged so that one of the tubes in thecartridge 146 will he coaxially aligned with the needle 190' in each of its three positions obtained by energizing themotor 222. Thus, thesupport 224 moves about an axis which is parallel to and equidistantly spaced from the axes of the tubes in thecartridge 146.

The nurse or technician taking blood specimens using thedevice 210 places thecartridge 146 on thesupport 212 as illustrated and then places the block 188' in theproportioned cutout 226 in thesupport 224. Then, after theneedle 194 is inserted into the vein, the nurse or technician may operate a switch to cause thesupport 212 to be driven toward the needle to penetrate the needle through thestopper 154a of the first tube in thecartridge 146. After a predetermined time thesupport 212 is moved away from the needle 190' and then themotor 222 is energized to index the needle so that is is in coaxial alignment with the second tube in thecartridge 146.

Again, thesupport 212,motor 222 anddrivescrew 220 are preferably mounted on anoscillable platform 30, only a portion of which is shown.

In thedevice 178, theneedle 190 is reciprocated axially toward and away from the stoppers of the tubes in thecartridge 146 and the cartridge is rotated about an axis in a stepby-step manner sequentially to position each stopper adjacent the needle. In thedevice 210, the tubes and the cartridge are reciprocated toward and away from theneedle 190 and the needle is driven about an axis in a step-by-step manner sequentially to be positioned adjacent each of the stoppers.

Referring now to FIG. 7, it will be seen that I have illustrated still another device, indicated generally by thereference numeral 230, for sequentially depositing blood into a plurality of test tubes. Thedevice 230 utilizes thecartridge 56 which contains three tubes as discussed previously. Thecartridge 56 is placed upon asupport 232 and held in position thereon by means such as the spring clip indicated at 234. Thesupport 232 and thecartridge 56 supported thereon is moved in a step-by-step manner as indicated by the two arrows 235 by amotor 236. Themotor 236 may be connected to thesupport 232 by means such as theillustrated drivescrew 238. Themotor 236 is, therefore, indexing means for moving thecartridge 56 in a step-by-step manner sequentially to position the stopper of each tube contained in the cartridge adjacent a singlehollow needle 190. Theblock 188 carrying the needle is placed in acutout 239 on asupport 240 which, in the illustrative embodiment, is drivingly connected to amotor 242 by adrivescrew 244. Themotor 242 is a bidirectional motor used to reciprocate the needle 190' toward and away from the carthrough tridge 56 sequentially to penetrate the needle 190' the stoppers of the tubes contained in the cartridge.

62a. As soon as theneedles 88, 90, 92 penetrate through thestoppers 58a, 60a, 62a, blood will be drawn from the vein through the needle 98,tube 96, passageway 94 and into the evacuatedtubes 58, 60, 62.

It will be appreciated that the above-described method is such that the only action required by the nurse or the technician after the needle 98 is inserted into the vein and before the needle is withdrawn from the vein is to throw a switch which energizes themotor 74. Thetube 96 is of sufficient length to permit theplatform 30 to oscillate without, in any way, disturbing the position of the needle in a vein.

Thus, by using mydevice 10, a plurality of conventional evacuated test tubes, such as the three illustratedtubes 58, 60, 62 can be simultaneously at least partially filled with blood in a short period of time and without maneuvering the needle 98. Since theplatform 30 can be oscillated before the needle 98 is inserted into the vein or, at least, before themotor 74 is energized, my device will begin to mix the blood drawn into thetubes 58, 60, 62 immediately with the material in the tubes. In fact, in order to assure such immediate mixing of the blood with the material in the tubes, I prefer to arrange mydevice 10 so that themotor 74 cannot be energized to drive thepusher plate 68 forward until the motor 32 is energized to oscillate theplatform 30. As stated previously, this is an important object of my invention.

While I have illustrated threetest tubes 58, 60, 62, it will be appreciated that thecartridge 56 may contain more or less tubes as desired. Generally, in most blood tests, it is only desired that three such tubes be at least partially filled with blood.

Referring now to FIG. la, an illustrative control system for mydevice 10 will be discussed. I showpositive voltage terminals 102, 102' andnegative voltage terminals 104, 104' providing power for mydevice 10. It will be appreciated that these terminals may represent the terminals of a battery power source or the output terminals of a conventional rectifier for alternating current. The motor 32 is energized by current flow through a manually operatedswitch 106, the coil of arelay 108 and themaster switch 28. Therelay 108, when energized, closesswitch 110 through which themotor 74 is energized for rotation in a direction for driving thepusher plate 68 in the direction of thearrow 78. That is, current flows from the terminal 102, through theswitch 28,switch 110, aswitch 112, the coil ofmotor 74, aswitch 114 and aswitch 116 to thenegative voltage terminal 104 to drive themotor 74 to move theplate 68 in the direction of thearrow 78.

Switches 112 and 116 are manually operated, double throw switches arranged, when thrown one way and switches 110 and 114 are closed, to drivemotor 74 in one direction to advanceplate 68 and, when thrown in the opposite way and switch 114 is closed, to drivemotor 74 in the opposite direction to retractplate 68.Switch 114 is normally closed and is opened by atang 115 in theplate 68 when the plate has moved a predetermined distance in the direction of thearrow 78.Switches 112 and 116 may be connected to a common actuator as illustrated.

It will be appreciated that themotor 74 cannot be energized to advance theplate 68 in the direction of thearrow 78 unless theswitch 110 is closed and that theswitch 110 will not be closed unless the motor 32 is energized to oscillate theplatform 30.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it will be seen that thecartridge 56 is provided with three longitudinally extending,parallel openings 120, 122, 124 into which thetubes 58, 60, 62 are, respectively, inserted. The mouths of theseopenings 120, 122, 124 are proportioned and designed snugly to engage, respectively, thestoppers 58a, 60a, 62a so that, when the cartridge is pushed in the direction of thearrow 78 by thepusher plate 68, the force exerted by theneedles 88, 90, 92 upon the stoppers will not be directed through the walls of thetubes 58, 60, 62. The further advantage of having the mouth of theopenings 120, 122, 124 snugly engaging thestoppers 58a, 60a, 62a is that not all of the tubes which will be used with the cartridge will be of the same length.

I prefer to provide acover 126 which slips over the end of thecartridge 56 as illustrated, this cover being provided withopenings 120, 122, 124 which are in registry with the mouths of the correspondingly numbered openings in the cartridge. Theseopenings 120, 122', 124 are provided to accommodate theneedles 88, 90, 92.

It will be appreciated by those familiar with blood collecting methods that thetest tubes 58, 60, 62, after they are at least partially filled with blood, are conventionally inserted into a plastic mailing package. Thus, mycartridge 56, which is usable with thedevice 10 in the blood-drawing operation, can be used also as a mailing package.

Referring now to FIG. 3, it will be seen that l have illustrated a generally triangularly shaped cartridge having anopen end 132 through which three conventional evacuated tubes are inserted. Inside the cartridge, there are three triangularlyrelated wall sections 134, 136, 138 providing cubicles for receiving the closed ends of the tubes which are inserted into the cartridge. A centrally located, longitudinally extendingstem 140 is arranged to extend from the intersection of thewall sections 134, 136, 138 to theopen end 132 of thecartridge 130. Thestem 140 separates the tubes which are inserted into thecartridge 130. The end of thisstem 140 which is adjacent theopen end 132 is proportioned and designed so that, when three tubes are inserted into thecartridge 130, the stoppers sealing the tubes are engaged snugly by portions of the perimeter of theopen end 132 of the cartridge and by the adjacent end of thestem 140.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it will be seen that l have illustrated another generally triangularly shapedcartridge 146 which provides a plurality ofopenings 148, 150, 152 which receive, respectively, conventional evacuated tubes, such as indicated at 154. Theopenings 148, 150, 152 are also triangularly arranged so that, when tubes are, respectively, received therein, the axes of the tubes will extend through the corners of an equilateral triangle. The reason for this will become apparent as this description progresses.

For use with the generally triangularly shapedcartridges 130, 146, I provide a generally triangularly shaped manifold 156 from which extendshollow needles 158, 160, 162, the manifold being provided with apassageway 164 in communication with the needles. Thispassageway 164 is connected by means of aflexible tube 166 to a vein-puncturingneedle 168. Theneedles 158, 160, 162 are triangularly arranged so that each needle can be coaxially aligned with one of theopenings 148, 150, 152 to be penetrated through the stopper of the tube disposed in the opening.

Thus, the manifold 156 and either one of thecartridges 130, 146 may be used with mydevice 10.

For aesthetic reasons, I may provide a paper liner which can be fitted into the open end of thecartridge 146 so that, when the manifold 156 is pulled away from the cartridge, the blood drops on theneedles 158, 160, 162 will drop into and be absorbed by the liner 170. Of course, this liner 170, the manifold 156,tube 166 andneedle 168 may be conventionally disposed of after the blood is deposited into the tubes carried in thecartridge 146.

The cartridges shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 may be used with mydevice 10 simultaneously to deposit blood into the tubes disposed in the cartridges. Further, these same cartridges may be used with other embodiments of my invention which sequentially deposit blood into the tubes contained in the cartridge as will be hereinafter described.

The triangularly shapedcartridges 130, 146 may be preferable in some cases because they will stand alone on their bases, i.e., on their closed ends, to provide a self-standing unit with which the laboratory technicians can work. Further, for the same amount of material, a triangularly shaped cartridge may be somewhat stronger than a rectangularly shaped cartridge. Further, as will be discussed in conjunction with FIGS. 5-8, as a matter of mechanics, it may be advisable to index or position the triangularly shapedcartridges 130, 146 about a longitudinal axis.

Again, thesupport 232, 240, 242 and themotor 236 are preferably mounted on anoscillable platform 30, only a portion ofwhich is shown.

Referring now to FIG. 8, it will be seen that I have illustrated still anotherdevice 250 comprising a guideway 252 for slidably receiving acartridge 56 and means 254 for drivingly connecting the cartridge to anillustrative drivescrew arrangement 256. The drivescrew arrangement is provided for reciprocating thecartridge 56 in the guideway 252 as indicated by thearrows 258, 260 sequentially to push the stoppers of the tubes contained in the cartridge onto a single needle 190'.

The block 188' carrying the single needle 190' is disposed in a socket indicated at 262 provided in asupport member 264 which is reciprocated in a step-by-step manner by asolenoid 266. Thesolenoid 266 is connected to thesupport member 264 by means of a connecting device 268. The device 268 comprises a pivotally mountedhook 270 which is arranged to engagenotches 272, 274 provided on thesupport member 264. Aspring 276 is arranged yieldably to engage the hook with the notches. Thesolenoid 266 comprises a plunger 278 which extends through an opening in the device 268, the distal end of the plunger 278 being provided with an enlarged end 280 which serves loosely to connect the end of the plunger to the device 268. Aspring 282 is arranged conventionally to urge the plunger 278 to its outermost position in thesolenoid 266. I have illustrated atrip release 284 for manually disengaging thehook 270 from thenotches 272, 274 and aspring 286 for biasing thesupport member 264 to its illustrated positron.

The connecting device 268 is mounted for slidable movement relative to thesupport member 264 within the limits established by theelongated slots 288. Assuming that the illustrated position of thesupport member 264 is its initial starting position and that theneedle 190 has been penetrated through the opening 120' of thecartridge 56 and the stopper of the tube aligned with that opening and that it is desired to move the needle 190' into alignment with theopening 122, this movement is accomplished by energizing thesolenoid 266 while thehook 270 is engaged with the notch 272 to move the needle 190' one step as indicated by thearrow 290. Then thecartridge 56 is driven in the direction of thearrow 258 to push the stopper of the tube aligned with the opening 122' upon theneedle 190. While theneedle 190 is extending through the stopper behind theopening 122, thesolenoid 266 is deenergized and thespring 282 moves the connecting device 268 to the left as viewed in FIG. 8 and relative to thesupport member 264 to engage thehook 270 with thenotch 274. Then, after thecartridge 56 is pulled in the direction of thearrow 260, thesolenoid 266 may again be energized to move theneedle 190 one step as indicated by thearrow 292 to position the needle 190' in alignment with theopening 124. When the needle 190' is aligned with theopening 124, thecartridge 56 can be pushed in the direction of thearrow 258 to penetrate the needle through the stopper of the tube in alignment with theopening 124. When the blood is deposited into the tube in alignment with the opening 124', the blood-collecting operation is completed and while the needle 190' is still penetrating through the stopper of the tube aligned with the opening 124', thecartridge 56 with the needle and block 188 connected thereto can be lifted out of the guideway 252. Then, the supportingmember 264 can be returned to its initial starting position by pushing down on thetrip 284 which disengages thehook 270 from thenotch 274.

It will be appreciated that, in each of thedevices 178, 210, 230, 250, I may use a solenoid for driving thesingle needle 190 through the stopper of each of the tubes in thecartridges 146, 56.

In order to prevent the blood which is contained in theneedle 194,tube 192 and block 188 from running out the open end of theneedle 194 after it is removed from a vein, I prefer to leave theneedle 190 penetrating into the last three test tubes into which the needle is inserted. After the person from Whom the blood specimens have been taken leaves the area, the nurse or technician taking the blood can remove the needle from the last ofthe three tubes which is filled and then deposit the needle, block 188,flexible tube 192 andneedle 194 into a trash container.

Referring now to FIG. 9, it will be seen that I have illustrated a chuck means 300 for releasably, but rigidly holding ahollow needle 302 so that stoppers of evacuated tubes can be pushed upon the needle, the needle being connected by means ofaflexible tube 304 to a vein puncturing needle (not shown).

The illustrative chuck means 300 includes amember 306 providing a surface 306a having atrough 308 formed therein for receiving theneedle 302, asecond member 310 providing a second surface 310a for engaging the first-mentioned surface 306a, means 312 for hingedly connecting themembers 306, 310 so that the surfaces 306a and 310a can be separated, and fastener means 314 for releasably holding the surfaces in engagement. The illustrative fastener means 314 includes awing screw 316 which is conventionally rotatable to bridge across anotch 318 provided in themember 310.

In some cases, it may be sufficient to provide a resilient pad, such as indicated at 320, on the surface 310a, which pad resiliently engages theneedle 302 securely to position the needle in thetrough 308 of the chuck means 300. In other cases, it may be desirable to provide a small plastic block, such as indicated at 322, which is molded so as to be rigidly connected to theneedle 302 and which is received in arecess 324 formed in the surface 306a. It will be appreciated that the engagement of theblock 322 with therecess 324 will, when the surfaces 306a and 310a are brought into engagement, position whenneedle 302 against longitudinal movement.

Thus, a nurse or technician using the chuck means 300 may simply raise theupper member 310 and insert aneedle 302 into thetrough 308 as indicated by thearrows 326 and then, close the chuck means by lowering theupper member 310 and operating the fastener means 314.

It will be appreciated that, by using the chuck means 300, it will be possible to eliminate theblock 188, 188 shown in FIGS. 58, the block being a plastic piece of material having a passageway formed therein with a flexible tube connected to one end of the passageway and a needle extending into and connected to the other end of the passageway. The formation of such a block will be significantly more expensive than the connection of theneedle 302 to one end of theflexible tube 304. While I have illustrated (FIG. 9) thesmall block 322 molded about the end of the flexible tube receiving thehollow needle 302, as stated above, I may provide chuck means 300 which will resiliently and frictionally engage the needle and hold the needle rigidly without using such a block. In such a case, theflexible tube 304 may be simply heat sealed to theneedle 302.

My illustrative chuck means 300 may be used in any one of the systems illustrated in FIGS. 5-8. That is, the chuck means 300 may be placed on the rack 200 (FIG. 5), on the support member 224 (FIG. 6), on the support member 240 (FIG. 7), or on the support member 264 (FIG. 8).

Referring now to FIG. 10, it will be seen that I have shown an illustrative chuck means 300 mounted on asupport block 330 for reciprocation in the direction of thearrow 332 which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of theneedle 302 held in the chuck. The illustrative chuck means 300 includes anillustrative snap fastener 334 in lieu of the rotatable-type fastener means 314 discussed above.

Thesupport member 330 is formed with an upwardly opening, longitudinally extendingcavity 336 for receiving a conventional evacuatedtube 338, the end of thecavity 336 facing the chuck means 300 being enlarged as indicated at 340 to receive thestopper 338a sealing such a tube. Thetube 338 may be dropped into thecavity 336 and then the chuck means 300' may be pushed manually toward the tube to penetrate theneedle 302 carried by the chuck means through the stopper 3380. After blood is drawn into the evacuatedtube 338, the chuck means can be pulled away from thecavity 336 and the tube can be removed from the cavity and a second tube can be placed therein. The device of FIG. 10, therefore, is a manual means for sequentially penetrating theneedle 302, which is connected by aflexible tube 304 to a vein-puncturing needle, through the stoppers of several evacuated tubes.

In order to facilitate the manual removal of thetubes 338 from thecavity 336, I provide enlarged, laterally extendingopenings 342 intermediate the ends of the cavity. Theseopenings 342 will permit a nurse or technician to grip the tube securely at a point intermediate its ends.

Referring now to FIG. 11, it will be seen that I have illustrated a chuck means 300' for releasably and rigidly holding ahollow needle 302 and means 344 for reciprocating the chuck means toward and away from the stoppers of a plurality of tubes. The illustrative means 344 includes abidirectional drive motor 346 anddrivescrew arrangement 348 for reciprocating the chuck means 300 as indicated by thearrow 350.

In FIG. I l thetubes 352 are carried by acartridge belt 354, i.e., a belt formed with a plurality of spaced apartloops 356, each of which receives atube 352. Eachloop 356 of thebelt 354 is preferably provided with coded indicia for identifying the tube received therein. Preferably, means such as the illustratedknife 358 which is pivotally mounted as indicated at 360, will be provided for separating thebelt loops 356. In the illustrative embodiment, theknife 358 is pivotally mounted on the same member as the chuck means 300 so that when the chuck means is moved away from the tubes, the knife will drop down to separate theloop 356 from thebelt 354. In some cases, it may be advisable to remove or to deactivate theknife 358 so that reciprocation of chuck means 300 will not separate belt loops.

In the illustrative embodiment, there is aframe 362 defining a guideway through which thebelt 354 andtubes 352 move. At one point on theframe 362, there is provided anotch 364 through which theneedle 302 reciprocates. Means must be provided for driving thebelt 354 in a step-by-step manner past thenotch 364. In the illustrative embodiment, this function is provided by arotary stepping motor 366 which drives adrive wheel 368 which engages thebelt 354. Thedrive wheel 368 may be soft so as resiliently to engage thebelt 354 as illustrated. Preferably, each step of themotor 366 moves thebelt 354 one loop space sequentially to advance eachtube 352 carried by the belt past thenotch 364.

The system of FIG. 11 may be ideally used for collecting large groups of blood specimens from large groups of people, such as Army inductees. The coded indicia or serial numbers carried on eachloop 356 will facilitate the identification of each blood specimen. That is, each person from whom blood is to be taken can be assigned a serial number corresponding to the number of theloop 356 receiving thetube 352 into which the persons blood is deposited. Thus, using the system of FIG. 11, one or more blood specimens can be efficiently taken from each person of a group of people. The nurse or technician taking the specimens will not have to manipulate manually the tubes.

Therotary stepping motor 366 and drivewheel 368 constitute indexing means for advancing thetubes 352 or thebelt 354 holding the tubes sequentially past the chuck means 300 which holds the needles to be penetrated through the stoppers of the tubes.

Referring now to FIG. 12, it will be seen that I have shown ablock 188 carrying aneedle 190, the block being mounted on a platform 30'. Thehollow needle 190 is connected by means of aflexible tube 192 to a vein-puncturing needle. Theblock 188 is illustrative and chuck means 300 may be used in lieu thereof.

The system of FIG. 12 includes achamber 382 in whichtubes 384 are held for movement toward and away from theneedle 190. In the illustrative embodiment, thechamber 382 is reciprocated toward and away from theneedle 190 by means of abidirectional motor 384 anddrivescrew 386 arrangement. The system of FIG. 12 also includes cartridge means or ahopper 388 for sequentially feedingsuch tubes 384 into thechamber 382 and means 390 for ejecting filled tubes from the chamber so that empty tubes can be deposited therein. In the illustrative embodiment, the ejecting means 390 comprises amember 392 mounted for pivotal movement as indicated at 394 toward and away from thechamber 382 as indicated by thearrow 395. Themember 392 provides aportion 396 for engaging atube 384 and pushing it out of thechamber 382. The ejecting means 390 also includes asecond member 398 which is pivotally mounted on aplatform 400 so as to engage aportion 402 of themember 392 when thechamber 382 is moved away from the needle I toward the cartridge means 388. Themember 398 is pivotally movable as indicated by thearrow 404 and aleaf spring 406 is provided for yieldably urging themember 398 in a direction opposite to thearrow 404.

In the operation of the system of FIG. 12, when thechamber 382 with atube 384 is moved away from the needle I90 toward the cartridge means 388, themember 392 strikes themember 398 and moves inwardly to push the tube out of the chamber as indicated by thearrow 408. Thechamber 382 continues to move to a position under the cartridge means 388 so that anothertube 384 can drop into the chamber for movement toward theneedle 190. Thespring 406 will permit themember 398 to pivot in the direction of thearrow 404 when themember 392 is moved toward theneedle 190.

It will be appreciated that the entire system of FIG. 12 may be mounted on an oscillable platform 30', only a portion of which is shown.

What is claimed is:

l. A blood collecting device comprising means for holding conventional evacuated test tubes, each such tube being sealed with a conventional rubberlike stopper, hollow needle means for penetrating through such stoppers and into such tubes, a vein-puncturing hollow needle, flexible tube means for connecting said needle means to said vein-puncturing needle, said holding means being arranged to hold such tubes so that such stoppers face said needle means, drive means for providing relative reciprocation between said needle means and said holding means to cause said needle means to penetrate through such stoppers, and means for gently oscil lating said holding means and such tubes held thereby.

2. The device of claim I in which said drive means is electrically operated and including circuit means for preventing energization of said drive means unless said holding means is oscillating.

3. A blood collecting device comprising a manifold providing a passageway, a plurality of hollow needles carried by said manifold and communicating with said passageway, each of said hollow needles having a sharpened end portion extending away from said manifold, a vein-puncturing hollow needle, flexible tube means for connecting said vein-puncturing needle to said passageway, frame means for holding a plurality of conventional evacuated test tubes, each such tube being sealed with a conventional rubberlike stopper, said frame means being arranged to hold each such tube in a position so that its stopper is facing the sharpened end portion of one of said first-mentioned needles, drive means for providing relative reciprocation between said manifold and said frame means to cause the sharpened end portions of said first-mentioned needles simultaneously and respectively to penetrate through said stoppers and into said tubes, and means for gently oscillating said frame means and such tubes held thereby.

4. The device of claim 3 in which said drive means is electrically operated.

5. The device of claim 4 in which said oscillating means is electrically operated and including circuit means for assuring that said oscillating means is energized before said drive means can be energized.

6. A blood collecting device comprising a manifold providing a passageway, a plurality of hollow needles carried by said manifold and communicating with said passageway, each of said hollow needles having a sharpened end portion extending away from said manifold, a vein-puncturing hollow needle, flexible tube means for connecting said vein-puncturing needle to said passageway, frame means for holding a plurality of conventional evacuated test tubes, each such tube being sealed with a conventional rubberlike stopper, said frame means being arranged to hold each such tube in a position so that its stopper is facing the sharpened end portion of one of said first-mentioned needles, drive means for providing relative reciprocation between said manifold and said frame means to cause the sharpened end portions of said first-men tioned needles simultaneously and respectively to penetrate through said stoppers and into said tubes, a platform upon which said frame means, manifold, and drive means are mounted, and means for gently oscillating said platform.

7. The device of claim 6 in which said platform provides a guideway for reciprocably mounting sad frame means and in which said drive means is arranged to move said frame means along sad guideway toward said manifold.

8. The device of claim 6 in which said oscillating means includes a motor, a bent shaft driven by said motor, and a bearing for coupling said platform to said shaft, said bearing having an outer race upon which said platform is mounted and an inner race mounted on said shaft.

9. A blood collecting device comprising means for holding conventional evacuated test tubes, each such tube being sealed with a conventional rubberlike stopper, hollow needle means for penetrating through such stoppers and into such tubes, a vein-puncturing hollow needle, flexible tube means for connecting said needle means to said vein-puncturing needle, said holding means being arranged to hold such tubes so that such stoppers face said needle means, power means for providing relative reciprocation between said needle means and said holding means to cause said needle means to penetrate through such stoppers, and means for gently oscillating said holding means and such tubes held thereby.

10. The device of claim 1 in which said needle means includes a second hollow needle and means for rigidly holding said second needle, and including indexing means for providing relative movement between said holding means and said second needle, said indexing means being arranged so that the stoppers of such tubes are sequentially disposed adjacent said second needle to be penetrated thereby.

11. A blood specimen collecting device comprising a veinpuncturing hollow needle, means for supporting a plurality of test tubes, each such tube being closed by sealing means disposed in the end thereof, hollow needle means, means for penetrating said hollow needle means through such sealing means and into such tubes, said penetrating means including power means for providing relative reciprocation between said hollow needle means and said supporting means, and means for gently oscillating said supporting means and the tubes supported thereby.

12. The device of claim 11 in which said hollow needle means includes a second hollow needle, and in which said penetrating means includes indexing means for providing relative movement between said supporting means and said second hollow needle, said indexing means being arranged so that the sealing means of such tubes are sequentially disposed adjacent said second needle to be penetrated thereby.

Claims (12)

1. A blood collecting device comprising means for holding conventional evacuated test tubes, each such tube being sealed with a conventional rubberlike stopper, hollow needle means for penetrating through such stoppers and into such tubes, a veinpuncturing hollow needle, flexible tube means for connecting said needle means to said vein-puncturing needle, said holding means being arranged to hold such tubes so that such stoppers face said needle means, drive means for providing relative reciprocation between said needle means and said holding means to cause said needle means to penetrate through such stoppers, and means for gently oscillating said holding means and such tubes held thereby.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said drive means is electrically operated and including circuit means for preventing energization of said drive means unless said holding means is oscillating.

3. A blood collecting device comprising a manifold providing a passageway, a plurality of hollow needles carried by said manifold and communicating with said passageway, each of said hollow needles having a sharpened end portion extending away from said manifold, a vein-puncturing hollow needle, flexible tube means for connecting said vein-puncturing needle to said passageway, frame means for holding a plurality of conventional evacuated test tubes, each such tube being sealed with a conventional rubberlike stopper, said frame means being arranged to hold each such tube in a position so that its stopper is facing the sharpened end portion of one of said first-mentioned needles, drive means for providing relative reciprocation between said manifold and said frame means to cause the sharpened end portions of said first-mentioned needles simultaneously and respectively to penetrate through said stoppErs and into said tubes, and means for gently oscillating said frame means and such tubes held thereby.

4. The device of claim 3 in which said drive means is electrically operated.

5. The device of claim 4 in which said oscillating means is electrically operated and including circuit means for assuring that said oscillating means is energized before said drive means can be energized.

6. A blood collecting device comprising a manifold providing a passageway, a plurality of hollow needles carried by said manifold and communicating with said passageway, each of said hollow needles having a sharpened end portion extending away from said manifold, a vein-puncturing hollow needle, flexible tube means for connecting said vein-puncturing needle to said passageway, frame means for holding a plurality of conventional evacuated test tubes, each such tube being sealed with a conventional rubberlike stopper, said frame means being arranged to hold each such tube in a position so that its stopper is facing the sharpened end portion of one of said first-mentioned needles, drive means for providing relative reciprocation between said manifold and said frame means to cause the sharpened end portions of said first-mentioned needles simultaneously and respectively to penetrate through said stoppers and into said tubes, a platform upon which said frame means, manifold, and drive means are mounted, and means for gently oscillating said platform.

7. The device of claim 6 in which said platform provides a guideway for reciprocably mounting sad frame means and in which said drive means is arranged to move said frame means along sad guideway toward said manifold.

8. The device of claim 6 in which said oscillating means includes a motor, a bent shaft driven by said motor, and a bearing for coupling said platform to said shaft, said bearing having an outer race upon which said platform is mounted and an inner race mounted on said shaft.

9. A blood collecting device comprising means for holding conventional evacuated test tubes, each such tube being sealed with a conventional rubberlike stopper, hollow needle means for penetrating through such stoppers and into such tubes, a vein-puncturing hollow needle, flexible tube means for connecting said needle means to said vein-puncturing needle, said holding means being arranged to hold such tubes so that such stoppers face said needle means, power means for providing relative reciprocation between said needle means and said holding means to cause said needle means to penetrate through such stoppers, and means for gently oscillating said holding means and such tubes held thereby.

10. The device of claim 1 in which said needle means includes a second hollow needle and means for rigidly holding said second needle, and including indexing means for providing relative movement between said holding means and said second needle, said indexing means being arranged so that the stoppers of such tubes are sequentially disposed adjacent said second needle to be penetrated thereby.

11. A blood specimen collecting device comprising a vein-puncturing hollow needle, means for supporting a plurality of test tubes, each such tube being closed by sealing means disposed in the end thereof, hollow needle means, means for penetrating said hollow needle means through such sealing means and into such tubes, said penetrating means including power means for providing relative reciprocation between said hollow needle means and said supporting means, and means for gently oscillating said supporting means and the tubes supported thereby.

12. The device of claim 11 in which said hollow needle means includes a second hollow needle, and in which said penetrating means includes indexing means for providing relative movement between said supporting means and said second hollow needle, said indexing means being arranged so that the sealing means of such tubes are sequentially disposed adjacent said second needle to be penetrated thereby.

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