Abstract: The invention concerns a cryogenic system (1) for vitrifying a substance comprising biological material to be preserved in a receiving region of a thin tube (8), comprising a tank (10) containing a bath (11) of a cryogenic agent and a support member (80) mounted on said tank in a predetermined first position in which said tube is orientated upright, the receiving region being immersed in a liquid zone (17) of said bath, and an opening of said tube being situated above said bath, in a zone of ambient air above said bath, in order to introduce the substance into the tube, the support member being mounted on said tank in a second predetermined position, in which said receiving region is immersed in the liquid zone and said opening is situated immediately above said liquid zone, in a gaseous zone (18) of said bath above said liquid zone and below said zone of ambient air, and being raised from said second position.

Abstract: The invention relates to a feeding and positioning device (5) for straws (2) for packing animal semen on a support (4), with a feeding hopper (20) having an inner space (21) which receives the straws and is partially delimited by an inclined and electrically conductive bottom wall (38), an evacuation chute (22) with an inlet orifice, which opens into said inner space, and with an outlet orifice opposite said support, a disentangling system (25) having an electrically conductive and movable part configured to come into contact with said straws and to set them in motion in said inner space, an electrically conductive support, and a mechanical connection interface of said movable part on said support, and electrical connection elements which are directly connected, respectively, to said bottom wall and said support and to said movable part and said support.

Abstract: The invention relates to a storage receptacle (1) with a longitudinal opening (5) through which straws (2) for packing liquid-based substance are passed in a predetermined orientation of the straws, a housing (3) provided for the straws and configured to be inserted slidably in a cover (4) of the receptacle, the latter having an open configuration, in which the housing is partially inserted in the cover and the opening is free for the passage of the straws, and a closure configuration, in which the housing is inserted in the cover and the opening is closed by the cover in order to prohibit the passage of the straws. The housing has a parallelepipedal shape, a first front wall in which the opening is formed, a first bottom wall, two first longitudinal wails extending parallel to the opening, and two first side walls which each have two diagonals of a length less than or equal to the length of the straws.

Abstract: The installation (1) comprises a treatment machine (12) and a supply and positioning device (16) configured to receive the straws (2) and dispose them one by one in a predetermined orientation for their treatment by said machine. The device (16) comprises a curved ramp (52) having a reception portion (64) for the straws (2) and an ejection portion (65) for the straws, the ramp being configured to convey, to the ejection portion (65), a straw (2) received on the reception portion (64) and sliding on the ramp (52), the ramp having a concave profile such that said profile has an orientation closer to the vertical in the reception portion (64) than in the ejection portion (65), such that a straw received on the reception portion (64) is accelerated to the ejection portion (65) at which the straw is guided and ejected with a predetermined orientation.

Abstract: The invention concerns a cryogenic system (1) for vitrifying a substance comprising biological material to be preserved in a receiving region of a thin tube (8), comprising a tank (10) containing a bath (11) of a cryogenic agent and a support member (80) mounted on said tank in a predetermined first position in which said tube is orientated upright, the receiving region being immersed in a liquid zone (17) of said bath, and an opening of said tube being situated above said bath, in a zone of ambient air above said bath, in order to introduce the substance into the tube, the support member being mounted on said tank in a second predetermined position, in which said receiving region is immersed in the liquid zone and said opening is situated immediately above said liquid zone, in a gaseous zone (18) of said bath above said liquid zone and below said zone of ambient air, and being raised from said second position

Abstract: The straw (11) filling device comprises a casing body having a cavity (43) in which the needle (9) of a nozzle (7) is placed. The needle is inserted into the straw tube (12) received in the cavity. The casing body is attached to a carriage separately from the needle. The cavity comprises a distal opening located on the distal end side of the needle, a proximal opening located on the proximal end side of the needle, and a longitudinal opening extending from the distal opening to the proximal opening, thus enabling placement and removal of the needle in and out of the cavity in a direction transverse to the direction of the needle and preventing an adult finger accessing the distal end of the needle. The machine comprises a device of this type and a conveyor (2) designed to keep the straw tube in a filling position during each cycle.

Abstract: The invention relates to a feeding and positioning device (5) for straws (2) for packing animal semen on a support (4), with a feeding hopper (20) having an inner space (21) which receives the straws and is partially delimited by an inclined and electrically conductive bottom wall (38), an evacuation chute (22) with an inlet orifice, which opens into said inner space, and with an outlet orifice opposite said support, a disentangling system (25) having an electrically conductive and movable part configured to come into contact with said straws and to set them in motion in said inner space, an electrically conductive support, and a mechanical connection interface of said movable part on said support, and electrical connection elements which are directly connected, respectively, to said bottom wall and said support and to said movable part and said support.

Abstract: The invention relates to a storage receptacle (1) with a longitudinal opening (5) through which straws (2) for packing liquid-based substance are passed in a predetermined orientation of the straws, a housing (3) provided for the straws and configured to be inserted slidably in a cover (4) of the receptacle, the latter having an open configuration, in which the housing is partially inserted in the cover and the opening is free for the passage of the straws, and a closure configuration, in which the housing is inserted in the cover and the opening is closed by the cover in order to prohibit the passage of the straws. The housing has a parallelepipedal shape, a first front wall in which the opening is formed, a first bottom wall, two first longitudinal wails extending parallel to the opening, and two first side walls which each have two diagonals of a length less than or equal to the length of the straws.

Abstract: The installation (1) comprises a treatment machine (12) and a supply and positioning device (16) configured to receive the straws (2) and dispose them one by one in a predetermined orientation for their treatment by said machine. The device (16) comprises a curved ramp (52) having a reception portion (64) for the straws (2) and an ejection portion (65) for the straws, the ramp being configured to convey, to the ejection portion (65), a straw (2) received on the reception portion (64) and sliding on the ramp (52), the ramp having a concave profile such that said profile has an orientation closer to the vertical in the reception portion (64) than in the ejection portion (65), such that a straw received on the reception portion (64) is accelerated to the ejection portion (65) at which the straw is guided and ejected with a predetermined orientation.

Abstract: The straw (11) filling device comprises a casing body having a cavity (43) in which the needle (9) of a nozzle (7) is placed. The needle is inserted into the straw tube (12) received in the cavity. The casing body is attached to a carriage separately from the needle. The cavity comprises a distal opening located on the distal end side of the needle, a proximal opening located on the proximal end side of the needle, and a longitudinal opening extending from the distal opening to the proximal opening, thus enabling placement and removal of the needle in and out of the cavity in a direction transverse to the direction of the needle and preventing an adult finger accessing the distal end of the needle. The machine comprises a device of this type and a conveyor (2) designed to keep the straw tube in a filling position during each cycle.

Abstract: An assembly is provided for freezing a plurality of conditioning tubes each filled with a predetermined volume of biological substance, in which each of the tubes is driven in rotation in a flow of cooling agent, the assembly including a cooling enclosure configured in order to be passed through by the flow of cooling agent and a conditioning unit which is removable and placed in the enclosure; the unit is provided with a greater capacity than the plurality of tubes in order to directly receive this plurality of the tubes, the enclosure is fixed and the assembly includes a unit for driving the conditioning unit in rotation, which unit for driving in rotation is provided with a connection interface on which the removable conditioning unit is placed.

Abstract: An assembly is provided for freezing a plurality of conditioning tubes each filled with a predetermined volume of biological substance, in which each of the tubes is driven in rotation in a flow of cooling agent, the assembly including a cooling enclosure configured in order to be passed through by the flow of cooling agent and a conditioning unit which is removable and placed in the enclosure; the unit is provided with a greater capacity than the plurality of tubes in order to directly receive this plurality of the tubes, the enclosure is fixed and the assembly includes a unit for driving the conditioning unit in rotation, which unit for driving in rotation is provided with a connection interface on which the removable conditioning unit is placed.

Abstract: A method for freezing a plurality of conditioning tubes is provided, each tube filled with a predetermined volume of biological substance, including arranging each conditioning tube directly into a conditioning unit placed in a cooling enclosure then causing the enclosure to be passed through by a flow of cooling agent and simultaneously driving the conditioning unit (6) in rotation, and providing the unit (6) with a greater capacity than the plurality of tubes; wherein the step of arranging each tube directly in a unit is carried out by placing the plurality of tubes into the unit, and the step of driving the unit in rotation is implemented by setting each tube in motion with respect to the unit and with respect to the other tubes.

Abstract: The inventive device is provided with a unit (1) comprising a body (3) which interacts with a pipette tip (24) in a vertical position in order to retain the content of the pipette tip (24) in the unit (1) and comprises a nozzle (2) having a capillary channel (4) insertable into a straw (25) oriented in a transversal position with respect to the body in such a way that, when the body is in a vertical position, said nozzle (2) is in a horizontal position. The inventive method consists in sampling a liquid substance initially contained in a top-open container (45) with the aid of the pipette tip (24) in the vertical position, in transferring the content of pipette tip (24) to the body (3) of the unit (1) prior to filling the straw (25) with the predetermined dose of a liquid substance transferred thereto from the unit (1).

Abstract: A method for freezing a plurality of conditioning tubes is provided, each tube filled with a predetermined volume of biological substance, including arranging each conditioning tube directly into a conditioning unit placed in a cooling enclosure then causing the enclosure to be passed through by a flow of cooling agent and simultaneously driving the conditioning unit (6) in rotation, and providing the unit (6) with a greater capacity than the plurality of tubes; wherein the step of arranging each tube directly in a unit is carried out by placing the plurality of tubes into the unit, and the step of driving the unit in rotation is implemented by setting each tube in motion with respect to the unit and with respect to the other tubes.

Abstract: The invention relates to a machine for conditioning chaff (11) of predetermined diameter, that comprises a filling unit (3) for said chaff (11), including n filling stations (4), and a conveying device (2) for said chaff, said device (2) including at least one conveying member (5) provided with a succession of receiving housings (15) for said chaff (11) arranged along a predetermined pitch (E), said conveying member (5) further including, in addition to said succession of receiving housings (15) for said chaff (11) or first housings, a succession of receiving housings (16) or second housings for the chaff having another predetermined diameter, said second housings (16) being arranged along said pitch (E), and each of said second receiving housings (16) being provided between two first receiving housings (15).

Abstract: The straw comprises a tube (41) and a plug (42) consisting of a one-piece cylinder of microporous material, permeable to gases and liquid tight. The microporous material is a sintered self-sealing microporous material with at least a solid portion (42) having a diameter matching the inner diameter of said tube (41), said solid portion being in direct contact with said tube (41), said plug having in the tube a permeability to gases when it is dry such that if one end of the tube is placed in communication with a pressure source 150 mbar above atmospheric pressure and the other end of the tube is opened to atmospheric pressure, the air flow per unit area through the plug is in the range of 7.5 to 40 ml/min.mm2.

Abstract: the invention relates to a machine for conditioning chaff (11) of predetermined diameter, that comprises a filling unit (3) for said chaff (11), including n filling stations (4), and a conveying device (2) for said chaff, said device (2) including at least one conveying member (5) provided with a succession of receiving housings (15) for said chaff (11) arranged along a predetermined pitch (E), said conveying member (5) further including, in addition to said succession of receiving housings (15) for said chaff (11) or first housings, a succession of receiving housings (16) or second housings for the chaff having another predetermined diameter, said second housings (16) being arranged along said pitch (E), and each of said second receiving housings (16) being provided between two first receiving housings (15).

Abstract: The inventive device is provided with a unit (1) comprising a body (3) which interacts with a pipette tip (24) in a vertical position in order to retain the content of the pipette tip (24) in the unit (1) and comprises a nozzle (2) having a capillary channel (4) insertable into a straw (25) oriented in a transversal position with respect to the body in such a way that, when the body is in a vertical position, said nozzle (2) is in a horizontal position. The inventive method consists in sampling a liquid substance initially contained in a top-open container (45) with the aid of the pipette tip (24) in the vertical position, in transferring the content of pipette tip (24) to the body (3) of the unit (1) prior to filling the straw (25) with the predetermined dose of a liquid substance transferred thereto from the unit (1).

Abstract: A machine for conveying and moving into position tubes (124), the machine including a chute (42) with a vertical feed station for said tubes, conveyor belts (12) and a motor (31) for moving said conveyor belts, characterized in that said conveyor belts have two areas, namely an area (121) for loading said tubes and an area (122) for positioning said tubes, and a longitudinal recess co-operating with pressing means (44) for inserting said tubes into said positioning area during longitudinal movement of said belts under said chute (42).