CONTAINER UNIT FOR THE STORAGE AND PROTECTION OF LABORATORY SUBSTANCES

Abstract

A container unit for the storage and protection of laboratory substances includes a protective housing and a dosage-dispensing unit. To make the dosage-dispensing unit ready for use, the protective housing is removable. As a means to optimize the simplicity and safety of handling the unit and to achieve the required protection for the laboratory substance contained in it, at least one chamber is formed in the protective housing and filled with a treatment agent. The at least one chamber has a passage opening directed towards the interior space, with a chamber closure element allowing the passage opening to be closed gas-tight. The treatment agent inside the chamber can preferably be filled into the chamber and sealed off gas-tight with the chamber closure element already during the process of manufacturing the protective enclosure.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation under 35 USC §120 of PCT/EP2008/053766, filed 28 Mar. 2008, which is in turn entitled to benefit of a right of priority under 35 USC §119 from European patent application 07 10 5842.4, filed 10 Apr. 2007. The content of each of the applications is incorporated by reference as if fully recited herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments are related to a container unit for the storage and protection of powders and pastes in quantities that are typical for laboratory applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

In companies with regional or global operations, where new substances are developed and intermediate products as well as samples from production processes are analyzed, a large portion of the time is consumed throughout the entire workflow for the logistics processes that are required in order to dispense these substances in measured doses from source containers into receiving containers at different locations in the laboratory or also in different laboratories that are dispersed worldwide. Particularly in the case of hazardous materials, for example toxic or carcinogenic substances, the required safety measures are very time-consuming and expensive. The cost for a large dosage-dispensing system with an automatic feeder device to move the substance cannot be justified for this kind of application, because such systems are very expensive.

Therefore, in order to make the workflow more efficient, there is a need for lower-cost dosage-dispensing instruments, so that a larger number of these instruments can be placed in different respective locations. Such dosage-dispensing instruments are particularly advantageous if they are configured as retrofittable units which can be used in high-precision analytical balances. A dosage-dispensing unit is disclosed in French published application 2 846 632 A1 which can be coupled to and uncoupled from an actuating device. The dosage-dispensing device consists in essence of a reservoir container which is connected to the dispensing head. The dispensing head has an outlet opening which can be opened and closed by means of a slider valve. To store the dosage-dispensing unit with the substance contained in it, the entire dispensing head, specifically its openings, can be closed off from the outside with a protective push-on cap. The dosage-dispensing unit as disclosed is suitable for use in so-called compound libraries, i.e. very large substance repositories with defined and controlled climatic conditions.

However, if the dosage-dispensing units are to be mailed out worldwide, special attention needs to be paid to the protection of the dosage-dispensing unit and the substance contained in it, for example with measures against the penetration of moisture or dirt and to avoid personal accidents which could be caused for example by an unintended escape of toxic substances.

With the aim of protecting the integrity of the substance and to avoid the risk of personal accidents, the disclosed embodiments therefore have the objective to create a container unit for laboratory substances:

• • which is safe and simple to handle
  • which protects the substance contained in it from outside influences, for example moisture and contaminants,
  • which prevents personal accidents which could be caused for example by substance escaping from the dosage-dispensing unit, and also prevents unauthorized withdrawals of laboratory substances, and
  • which can be equipped with means to hold information regarding the properties and the condition of the substance contained in the dosage-dispensing unit.

SUMMARY

The objectives just named are met by a laboratory container unit for the storage and protection of laboratory substances in accordance with the independent device claim.

A laboratory substance container unit for the storage and protection of laboratory substances includes a protective housing and a dosage-dispensing unit. The dosage-dispensing unit includes a reservoir container and a dispensing head, with the protective housing being releasably connected to the dosage-dispensing unit. For the purposes of transportation and storage, the protective housing encloses at least all of those parts of the dispensing head that are pervious to gas, so that between the dosage-dispensing unit and the protective housing there is an interior space that is sealed off tightly from the outside. To prepare the dosage-dispensing unit for operation, the protective housing can be removed from the dosage-dispensing unit. The protective housing is preferably connected to the dosage-dispensing unit by means of a narrow-pitched screw thread connection, a bayonet coupling with a detent element, or by means of clamp-on closure elements which can be secured with tamper-proof seals. The protective housing has the primary function to form a shield between the surrounding space and the laboratory substance inside the dosage-dispensing unit, in particular to block leak passages in the dispensing head. This barrier is necessary, because it is almost impossible to make the dispensing head permanently air-tight. The potential leak passages which lead through the dispensing head into the reservoir container include in particular the outlet opening as well as bore holes that may be arranged in the dispensing head for the coupling connection to a flow rate control device as well as the connection between the dispensing head and the reservoir container. The protective housing further performs the function of a barrier wall surrounding the dispensing head, so that substance particles which could remain stuck to the outside of the dispensing head in the area of the outlet opening after the dispensing process will remain safely locked away in the interior space of the protective housing and pose no danger to people and the environment.

In order to make the handling as simple and safe as possible and to provide the required protection for the substance contained inside, there is at least one chamber formed in the protective housing which is filled with a treatment agent. The at least one chamber has a passage opening directed towards the interior space, wherein the passage opening can be closed gas-tight with a chamber closure element. The treatment agent contained in the chamber can preferably be filled into the chamber already during the process of producing the protective housing and can be sealed gas-tight with the chamber closure element.

The chamber can be configured in the protective housing in such a way that the treatment agent can be filled into the chamber from the outside. The protective housing can also be configured with a plurality of parts. For example chambers that are arranged on the outside of the protective housing and are connected to the interior space by means of passage openings belong likewise to the protective housing.

While laboratory containers that can be closed gas-tight, wherein for example small bags with desiccant agents are enclosed directly with the substance, are known to be in daily use, the arrangement offers enormous advantages over this conventional storage concept.

The treatment agent is always spatially separated from the laboratory substance, so that no problems occur with the treatment agent when taking out laboratory substance and in the handling of the laboratory substance container unit. Furthermore, the treatment agent is already in place and in faultless, for example unsaturated condition at the time when the chamber closure element of the protective housing is opened immediately prior to connecting the dosage-dispensing unit with the protective housing, whereby the treatment agent is allowed to take effect. If a chamber closure element in a protective housing is found already open, this would indicate unmistakably that the protective housing was already in use, so that the treatment agent is possibly saturated and therefore no longer effective, and that the inside of the protective housing may possibly be contaminated. It is therefore of advantage if the chamber closure element is designed so that it cannot be closed again. For example, a tear-off tag formed on the protective housing or a tear-off sealing sticker could be used as a chamber closure element.

Different treatment agents may be employed, depending on the laboratory substance that is to be stored. Substances that are known to be used as treatment agents are for example binding agents such as silica gel, molecular sieve, activated charcoal, and activated clay (potassium bentonite). However, the treatment agent does not necessarily have to be a binding agent. It is also absolutely possible to fill the chamber with treatment agents which for example bind or displace oxygen from the air. When using displacing treatment agents, there is of course an outlet required from the interior space to the outside, for example a pressure relief valve. The treatment agent is preferably present in solid form, but of course it can also be filled into the chamber as a liquid or gas, in which case the chamber closure element and the passage opening has to be designed in accordance with the state of aggregation of the treatment agent. For special solutions it is even conceivable to fill reaction components into the chambers which are intentionally planned to cause a change of the laboratory substance in the reservoir container during the storage time. Such special solutions could be used for example in aging tests, by filling the chamber for example with water or even with an oxygen carrier such as potassium nitrate instead of the treatment agent.

The passage opening can of course be configured in very different ways. It is preferably designed so that no treatment agent can escape through the passage opening into the interior space, but that the passage opening still allows gas to pass through. When coarse-grain silica gel is used, it is sufficient to use for example a sieve insert, while in the case of finer powders, it is preferred to arrange a gas-permeable membrane or a tissue in the passage opening.

If the same protective housing is to be used more than once, it can have more than one chamber, with each chamber having its own chamber closure element. In one possible embodiment, each of these chambers can be filled with a different treatment agent, so that the one treatment agent that is specifically suitable for the laboratory substance can be activated by opening the respective chamber closure element. Of course each chamber closure element can be provided with appropriate directions for use. It is of course possible to activate several treatment agents at once by removing more than one chamber closure element.

To provide a simple way of filling the laboratory substance container unit, specifically its reservoir container, with a laboratory substance, the reservoir container can have a substance-receiving space and a fill opening. The fill opening can be tightly closed with a lid, whereby the substance-receiving space can be tightly sealed against the outside. The connection between the lid and the fill opening is preferably designed so that the lid cannot be opened again, once it has been closed.

To make it easy to fill the laboratory substance into the container unit, the lid is preferably not part of the protective housing, so that the lid and the protective housing can be connected independently of each other to the dosage-dispensing unit.

The lid can likewise include at least one lid chamber. The latter has a lid chamber passage opening which in the closed condition of the reservoir container is directed towards the substance-receiving space. The lid chamber passage opening can likewise be closed up gas-tight with a chamber closure element. Everything said herein about a chamber or a plurality of chambers and their chamber closure elements is analogously applicable for the lid chambers.

Especially in large substance storage systems, the advantage of being able to monitor the stored substances individually cannot be overestimated. In order to make it possible to check the condition of the treatment agent or of the laboratory substance, there can be at least one indicator and/or sensor arranged in the at least one chamber and/or in the interior space and/or, if applicable, in the lid chamber. The sensor can be a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a gas sensor, or an optical sensor.

The at least one sensor preferably has a wireless or wire-bound connection to a monitoring unit that is arranged inside or outside the laboratory substance container unit. The externally arranged monitoring unit can be connected to the substance storage management system. As soon as irregularities occur with a laboratory substance container unit, it is conceivable that for example the robot that is tied into the substance storage management system could automatically be dispatched to fetch the laboratory substance container unit in question and put it into an output or disposal station.

In case the chamber and, if applicable, the lid chamber is equipped with an observation window and an indicator, the condition of the treatment agent or the conditions existing in the interior space of the laboratory substance container unit can also be verified optically. Such an indicator can be a treatment agent such as for example silica gel, which changes its color from blue to red as soon as it has reached a certain degree of moisture saturation. The monitoring unit described above could in this case monitor the condition of the treatment agent by means of an optical sensor, where the optical sensor would not even need to be arranged in the interior of the laboratory substance container unit, but could register the color change through the observation window. The optical sensor can in this case be permanently installed in the parking location of a laboratory substance container unit.

Of course, the reservoir container and/or at least a housing component of the dispensing head and/or the protective housing can be made of a transparent material. This provides a problem-free way to check how much substance remains in the laboratory substance container unit. It can further be verified whether the dispensing head is still tightly sealed or whether laboratory substance is already present in the interior space of the protective housing, so that there will be a danger of contamination when the protective housing is removed.

As a means to protect the laboratory substance filled into the laboratory substance container unit from harmful radiation from the environment, the transparent material can have filter properties for certain wavelengths of light, or it can be coated with a material having such filter properties.

If the coated material with the filter properties is arranged in the interior space, it can also have the properties of an indicator. For example, if the relative air humidity in the interior space is too high, the coating material could change color as a result of the humidity or it could even loose its transparency. The coating material itself can also absorb part of the humidity and can thus serve as a treatment agent.

In an advantageous embodiment, the reservoir container further has scale markings, so that the substance quantity in the reservoir container can be verified by simple visual observation.

To facilitate handling, the protective housing preferably has a flat bottom which forms a stable base for the laboratory substance container unit to stand on. The stable standing base makes it safe and easy to fill the reservoir container with a laboratory substance.

The reservoir container and the dispensing head of the dosage-dispensing unit do not necessarily have to be connected in a way that allows them to be separated from each other. If a lid and a fill opening are provided, the reservoir container and the dispensing head can also be integrally connected in one piece.

In addition to the chambers, the protective housing can have at least one gas inlet and/or a vacuum connection which is equipped with a check valve and can be connected to a gas supply source or a vacuum pump. The connection of the protective housing to the gas supply source or the vacuum pump can be maintained during an initial storage period or can be in place for only a short period for filling or evacuating. With the gas supply or the vacuum pump, the interior space of the protective housing can be filled with either a gas atmosphere or with a sub-ambient atmospheric pressure, which also propagates through the dispensing head into the reservoir container and replaces the air in the dosage-dispensing unit. This allows for example the useful life of the treatment agent in the at least one chamber to be influenced. A sub-ambient atmospheric pressure or partial vacuum in the protective housing and in the dosage-dispensing unit can function as an additional safety measure, because in case of a leak, air will penetrate into the laboratory substance container unit, but no substance will be able to escape to the outside. A hermetic (gas-tight) closure is necessary in order to be able to maintain the gas atmosphere or the partial vacuum in the interior of the container unit. The container unit as well as the reservoir container will of course have to be designed to have sufficient strength to withstand the pressure.

In addition to or instead of the gas connection, the protective housing can further contain at least one gas cartridge which can be actuated from the outside to flood the interior space with gas. The actuation from the outside implies that the dosage-dispensing unit is first covered with the protective housing, and the valve of the gas cartridge is operable for example through a push button or rotary knob that is accessible from the outside. Depending on its design, the valve of the gas cartridge can be opened irreversibly, or it can be capable of being closed again. If the valve of the gas cartridge can be closed again, this makes it possible that when the protective housing is removed more than once, the interior space can be flooded with gas again each time after the laboratory substance container unit has been reassembled. As an advantageous feature, there should be an opening with a check valve, so that the air displaced by the gas of the cartridge can escape from the interior space to the outside. Such an opening can also be represented by the connection between the protective housing and the dosage-dispensing unit if the housing expands under the inside pressure to such an extent that during a short time a leak will occur through the connection, so that the excess pressure in the interior space can be released through this leak.

In a further embodiment, there can be a means of identification arranged on the reservoir container and/or on the dispensing head and/or on the protective housing. This identifier means is preferably an RFID tag, a barcode or matrix code label, or a printed or handwritten adhesive label.

As a further safety element, the laboratory substance container unit can be sealed with a tamper-proof security label or tamper-proof seal, which is designed so that it has to be visibly broken in order to remove the dosage-dispensing unit from the protective housing.

If the protective housing has a cup-shaped configuration, the dosage material which may stick to the outside of the dispensing head will collect particularly in the interior space. If this is the case, an insert which holds the laboratory substance particles back may be arranged in the interior space of the protective housing. Such an insert could be for example a felt insert or a micro fiber insert which electrostatically attracts the laboratory substance particles. Of course, one could also use other kinds of inserts such as a moist sponge, a suction device, rotating cleaning brushes and the like.

Of course, the handling of the laboratory substance container unit described above can be automated by means of a laboratory robot. To implement this concept, the laboratory robot could perform the processes that will now be described.

In a method to fill, transport and store a laboratory substance container unit:

• • the reservoir container of the dosage-dispensing unit to which the protective housing is connected as a standing base and whose fill opening at the top is open, is filled with a laboratory substance;
  • if applicable, the chamber closure element of the lid chamber passage opening is removed or opened, and the fill opening is closed with the lid;
  • the laboratory substance container unit is appropriately identified, possibly sealed, and put into storage or sent to its destination.

In a method to dispense substance from a filled laboratory substance container:

• • the protective housing is removed from the dosage-dispensing unit, while the fill opening at the top remains closed with the lid;
  • the dosage-dispensing unit is connected to an actuating device and is moved into position above a receiving container;
  • the dosage-dispensing process is started;
  • after the prescribed one or more substance quantities have been dispensed into one or more receiving containers, the dosage-dispensing unit is removed from the actuating device, the chamber closure element of at least one chamber is removed or opened, and the dosage-dispensing unit is connected again to the protective housing; and
  • the laboratory substance container unit is returned to storage or is disposed of.

As has been described farther above, there can be a monitoring unit for the surveillance of one or more laboratory substance container units. A method to monitor a laboratory substance container unit which has been filled and put into storage can have the following steps:

• • a measurement signal connection from the sensor to the monitoring unit is maintained continually or periodically, or is initialized by way of a user input;
  • measurement signals delivered continually or periodically or at one time by the sensor are received and registered by the monitoring unit;
  • at least one measurement signal received by the monitoring unit, or a measurement value obtained from the measurement signal, is compared to at least one threshold value that is stored in the monitoring unit;
  • if the threshold value is found to be exceeded, a warning signal is transmitted to an output unit that belongs to the monitoring unit, or to the indicator.

As can be concluded from the preceding description, the indicator is not necessarily a substance which indicates a change for example by a turn in color. An indicator can also be an electronic component which includes a monitoring unit and an output unit as well as possibly a sensor. The threshold value represents a border of a kind where the laboratory substance contained in the laboratory substance container unit can be negatively affected when the value is exceeded. For example, it is possible that in a certain pulverous laboratory substance a relative humidity of 0% to 15% in the interior space has no influence on the ability of the substance to flow freely, but that individual powder particles will begin to stick together as soon as a value of 15% is exceeded. The threshold value in this example would thus be 15%.

As a further possibility, a limit value could be defined, for example a maximally permissible temperature, where the total destruction of the laboratory substance will have to be assumed if the limit has been exceeded. As a second example if a threshold value is set at a lower temperature than the limit value at which the laboratory substance begins to break up, it would be possible to calculate the remaining useful lifetime for the laboratory substance by keeping track of multiple incidents when the threshold value was exceeded and for how long, and by keeping a running cumulative total of the time during which the temperature was above the threshold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Details of the laboratory substance container unit will become apparent from the description of the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, wherein identical parts are identified with identical reference numerals and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a laboratory substance container unit, wherein the dosage-dispensing unit is partially pulled out of the protective housing;

FIG. 2 shows an empty laboratory substance container unit in sectional view in the assembled state, with a chamber that is filled with a treatment agent and closed up;

FIG. 3 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit in sectional view in the assembled state, ready for storage or for transportation, wherein the lid has a lid chamber;

FIG. 4 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit in sectional view, which is substantially analogous to the laboratory substance container unit of FIG. 3, but is equipped with an automatic chamber closure element;

FIG. 5 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit in sectional view, which is substantially analogous to the laboratory substance container unit of FIG. 3, but is equipped with a first embodiment of a rotatable chamber closure element; and

FIG. 6 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit in sectional view, which is substantially analogous to the laboratory substance container unit of FIG. 3, but is equipped with a second embodiment of a rotatable chamber closure element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a laboratory substance container unit 1 according to a first embodiment. A dosage-dispensing unit 2 with a reservoir container 3 and a dispensing head 5 is shown partially pulled out of a protective housing 15. The reservoir container 3, which looks like a small storage hopper for pourable bulk materials and which has a cylindrical upper part 8 and a funnel-shaped bottom part 9, consists preferably of a transparent material and has scale markings 50, so that the quantity of laboratory substance in the reservoir container 3 can be estimated easily.

In reference to the spatial orientation of the laboratory substance container unit 1 or one of its components, expressions such as “upper part”, “bottom part”, “above”, “below”, etc. always relate to the orientation of the dosage-dispensing unit in its operation-ready state for the dispensing of a substance, where the reservoir container is on top and the dispensing head is at the bottom.

A lid 11 over the top of the reservoir container 3 closes off a wide fill opening 10. In the illustrated example, the lid 11 has an internal thread, which engages a first external thread 4 on the reservoir container 3. The lid 11 can further contain a seal ring (not shown) or another suitable means to hermetically seal the reservoir container 3 from the outside environment. At its lower end, the reservoir container 3 is connected to the dispensing head 5 by way of a second external thread 12 which engages an internal thread in the dispensing head 5. Of course, the dispensing head 5 and the reservoir container 3 can also be integrally connected with each other as one piece. The reservoir container 3 has a protruding shoulder 13 and a third external thread 14 at the transition from the cylindrical upper part 8 to the funnel-shaped lower part 9. The protective housing 15, with a matching internal thread 16, can be screwed tightly against the shoulder 13. To form a hermetic seal between the dosage-dispensing unit 2 and the protective housing 15, a seal ring (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) could be inserted between the shoulder 13 and the rim of the cup-shaped protective housing 15. The protective housing 15 could also be equipped with a gas- or vacuum connection 51, whereby a gas supply source (not shown) or a vacuum pump could be connected by way of a valve, in order to create inside the protective housing 15 either a gas atmosphere or a sub-ambient pressure level, which would spread through the gas-permeable passages in the dispensing head 5 all the way into the reservoir container 3.

The gas-permeable passages in the dispensing head 5 are in particular caused by the closure element 6 which is movably constrained in the housing of the dispensing head 5 and which serves to variably regulate the orifice aperture of an outlet opening.

As a means to uniquely identify the dosage-dispensing unit, the latter can be equipped with an identifier means 19, for example a barcode label or an RFID tag. As a preferred concept however, all separable components such as the dispensing head 5, the reservoir container 3, the lid 11 and the protective housing 15 carry an identifier means 19, so that they can be identified unambiguously as belonging to each other, and that no dangerous cross-contamination can occur as a result of mix-ups.

The protective housing 15 further contains a chamber 17, which is indicated with a broken line. The interior of the chamber 17 can be viewed from the outside, as the protective housing 15 has a transparent window 18 in the area of the chamber 17.

FIG. 2 shows an empty laboratory substance container unit 21 in sectional view in the assembled state. The laboratory substance container unit 21 represents a second embodiment which is nearly identical with the laboratory substance container unit of FIG. 1, however with the important exception that the reservoir container 23 is closed at the top. The advantage provided is that there is neither a fill opening nor a lid and therefore the risk of an atmospheric leak at the lid or an unintentional lifting of the lid is avoided. On the other hand, however, the process of filling the laboratory substance into the reservoir container 23 is more complicated than with the container unit of FIG. 1. For the filling process, the dosage-dispensing unit 22 has to be separated from the protective housing 35 and turned upside down, the dispensing head 5 has to be taken off, and the laboratory substance has to be filled through the smaller and less practical opening at the bottom.

FIG. 2 makes the leak passages or ring gaps between the housing of the dispensing head 5 and the closure element 6 even more evident than FIG. 1.

The protective housing 35 includes the chamber 17 which has already been described in the context of FIG. 1. Between the interior space 28 of the protective housing 35 and the chamber 17, there is a passage opening 29 which is closed up gas-tight with a chamber closure element 30. The chamber closure element 30 shown in FIG. 2 is a foil sticker which covers and seals all of the holes of the sieve-like passage opening 29. The chamber 17 is filled with a treatment agent 52, for example the desiccant silica gel. By simply tearing off the chamber closure element 30, the passage opening 29 is set free, so that the effect of the treatment agent 52 can spread into the interior space 28 and through the leaks of the dispensing head into the dosage-dispensing unit 22. The tearing-off or opening of the chamber closure element 30 does not necessarily have to be performed manually, but with a suitable design configuration it can also occur automatically in the process of joining the protective housing 35 to the dosage-dispensing unit 22. For example a hook (not shown in the drawing) formed on the dispensing head 5 could serve to tear off a foil sticker or lift off a cover lid. Through the transparent window 18, it is possible to check whether the desiccant silica gel, which is mentioned here as an example, has turned color, i.e., whether or not it is saturated with moisture. Of course it is also possible, depending on the treatment agent 52, to add specific indicators (not shown in FIG. 2) to the treatment agent. In laboratory substances that release acidic vapors, the treatment agent 52 could for example be a calcium-containing substance, while the indicator is for example a litmus paper strip.

Of course, as an alternative or in addition to the transparent window 18, one could use at least one sensor 55 and at least one monitoring unit 56 which is connected to the sensor 55. The locations where the sensor 55 and the monitoring unit 56 are arranged are irrelevant. The sensor 55 only has to meet the requirement that it can detect the condition that is of interest in the interior of the laboratory substance container unit 21, more specifically that it can measure the parameter that is indicative of said condition, for example the relative humidity. The sensor 55 can be arranged for example inside the reservoir container 23 or inside the protective housing 35 and can be connected to the monitoring unit 56, which is arranged outside, by way of a physical connection 57 or a wireless connection 57. Furthermore, the sensor 55 can also be arranged on the outside, for example in the vicinity of the transparent window 18, to detect for example the fill level of the treatment agent 52 contained in the chamber 17 or a color change of the indicator. Of course, the sensor 55 as well as the monitoring unit 56 can be incorporated in the protective housing 35.

The bottom 27 of the protective housing 35 is preferably flat, in order to form a stable standing base or foot for the laboratory substance container unit 21. Of course, the protective housing 35 can include mechanical and electrical coupling elements, for example connector sockets or coupling projections. By means of these coupling elements, the laboratory substance container unit 23 can be connected conveniently and safely with other laboratory apparatus such as a multi-unit receiving rack for laboratory substance container units 21 or with a handling system such as a laboratory robot.

FIG. 3 shows a laboratory substance container unit 101 in sectional view in the assembled state, ready for storage or transportation. The reservoir container 123 of the dosage-dispensing unit 102 is filled with a laboratory substance 150. As in FIG. 1, the reservoir container 123 has a fill opening which is closed with a lid 111. A lid chamber 131 is formed in the lid 111. Between the lid chamber 131 and the inside of the lid 111, there is a lid chamber passage opening 134, which is sealed gas-tight by means of a lid closure element 135. Arranged in the lid chamber 131 are a pouch 133 which is filled with a treatment agent and is gas-permeable, and an indicator 132. Due to the fact that the lid 111 is made of transparent plastic, the indicator 132 can be conveniently observed from the outside.

In the protective housing 115 two chambers 117, 118 are formed, each of which has a passage opening 129. One chamber 118 is still sealed gas-tight by means of a chamber closure element 130, while the other chamber 117 is open towards the interior space 128 of the protective housing 115. In addition, to allow the chambers 117, 118 to be filled in a simple manner, each of the chambers 117, 118 also has a fill opening which is sealed gas-tight with a seal plug 119. This seal plug 119 can also be bonded with an adhesive or welded to the protective housing 115, so that it cannot be opened.

The protective housing 115 may contain an insert 155 which binds the laboratory substance particles. Such an insert 155 could be for example a felt insert or a micro fiber insert which electrostatically attracts the laboratory substance particles.

FIG. 4 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit 201 in sectional view, with a dosage-dispensing unit 102 that is identical to the dosage-dispensing unit shown in FIG. 3, so that is does not need to be described again in detail. The protective housing 215 shown in FIG. 4 has an automatic chamber closure element with a valve body 242. A ring-shaped chamber 218 is formed in the floor area of the protective housing 215 and filled with a treatment agent 252. Several passage openings 229 extend radially from the chamber towards the center of the protective housing 215. Arranged in the middle of the ring-shaped chamber 218 is the valve body 242, which is slidable within a range of linear movement that is limited by end stops formed on the valve body 242. The valve body 242 is pushed by a spring 241 against the direction in which the dosage-dispensing device 102 is installed in the protective housing 215. The valve body 242 has several windows 243, 244 which are configured and matched to the passage openings 229 in such a way that the gaseous medium in the interior space 228 can freely circulate between the chamber 218 and the interior space 228 as soon as the dosage-dispensing unit 102 is firmly connected to the protective housing 215. The reason why this is possible is that the valve body 242 can be pushed by a part of the dosage-dispensing unit 102, for example the dispensing head, against the biasing force of the spring 241. As soon as the protective housing 215 is removed from the dosage-dispensing unit, the spring 241 will push the valve body 215 into a closed position, where the passage openings 229 of the chamber 218 are covered by wall portions of the valve body 242. Of course, leakage paths in the form of ring-shaped gaps between the chamber and the valve body can be sealed gas-tight by means of appropriate sealing means such as O-rings.

Preferably, there is a first indicator 245 arranged in the chamber 218, to indicate the condition of the treatment agent 252. A second indicator 246 provides the capability to monitor the interior space 228. If the two indicators 245, 246 of an assembled laboratory substance container unit 201 indicate different conditions after an extended storage period, it is safe to assume that the valve body 242 is not functioning correctly so that the treatment agent cannot have its intended effect.

FIG. 5 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit 301 in sectional view, with a dosage-dispensing unit 102 that is identical to the dosage-dispensing unit shown in FIG. 3. The protective housing 315 illustrated in FIG. 5 is equipped with a first embodiment of a rotatable chamber closure element that is manually operable from the outside. Inside the protective housing 315, a chamber 318 is formed which is of cylindrical shape. Passage openings 329 are arranged between the chamber 318 and the interior space 328 of the protective housing 315. The chamber 318 is accessible from the outside in one area of the protective housing 315, meaning that the cylindrical shape of the chamber 318 extends to the circumference of the protective housing 315. In the cylindrical chamber 318, a cup-shaped shell 340 is arranged so that it can be turned between a closed position and an open position. The shell 340 has several windows 343 which are configured and matched to the passage openings 329 in such a way that the gaseous medium in the interior space 328 can freely circulate between the chamber 318 and the interior space 328 as soon as the shell 340 has been turned to the open position by means of a handle 341. The shell 340 is filled with a treatment agent 352.

The first advantage of a chamber closure element that can be operated form the outside is that the activation of the treatment agent 352 to take effect can be delayed at the discretion of the work user until after the laboratory substance container unit 301 has been assembled. The second advantage of this embodiment is that treatment agent 352 can be exchanged without having to separate the dosage-dispensing unit 102 from the protective housing 315. The shell 340 can be pulled out of the chamber 318 for this purpose, the treatment agent 352 can be exchanged, and the shell 340 can be set back into the chamber 318. Of course, leakage paths in the form of ring-shaped gaps between the chamber and the shell 340 can be sealed gas-tight by means of appropriate sealing means such as O-rings, and the shell 340 can be secured in the protective housing 315.

FIG. 6 shows a filled laboratory substance container unit 401 in sectional view, with a dosage-dispensing unit 102 that is identical to the dosage-dispensing unit shown in FIG. 3. The protective housing 415 illustrated in FIG. 6 is equipped with a second embodiment of a rotatable chamber closure element that is manually operable from the outside. Inside the protective housing 415, more specifically in the area of the floor, a ring-shaped chamber 418 is formed which is open from below. A cassette 440 of ring-shaped configuration fits into the ring-shaped chamber 418 and is rotatable about its central axis between a closed position and an open position. The ring-shape cassette 440 has several cavities 445 that are filled with a treatment agent 452. The cassette 440 is held in the chamber 418 of the protective housing 415 by means of a spring 451 and a rotary bearing 455. Passage openings 429 are arranged in at least a sector of the ring-shaped border surface between the chamber 418 and the interior space 428 of the protective housing 415. The ring-shaped cassette 440 has several windows 443 which are configured and matched to the passage openings 429 in such a way that the gaseous medium in the interior space 428 can freely circulate between the chamber 418, more specifically at least one of the cavities 445, and the interior space 428, as soon as the cassette 440 has been turned to the open position by means of a handle 441.

Although the invention has been presented though specific examples of embodiments, there are obviously numerous further variations that could be created from a knowledge of the present invention, for example by combining the features of the individual embodiments with each other and/or by exchanging individual functional units of the embodiments against each other. For example, the monitoring unit shown in FIG. 2 as well as the sensor associated with it, or possibly several sensors, which are used to measure different parameters of the atmosphere in the interior space, such as relative humidity, temperature, pressure and the like, can also be used in all of the other laboratory substance container units. Further embodiments of the dosage-dispensing head or further chamber closure elements are conceivable as well as different possible form-locking connections between the dosage-dispensing unit and the protective housing.

Claims

1. A container unit for the storage and protection of a laboratory substance, comprising:

a protective housing defining an interior space;

a chamber formed inside the protective housing, the chamber providing a volume to receive a treatment agent;

a passage opening of the chamber directed toward the interior space;

a chamber closure element selectively closing the passage opening gas-tight; and

a dosage-dispensing unit comprising a reservoir container and a dispensing head, the protective housing being removable from the dosage-dispensing unit for use of the dosage-dispensing unit, but being releasably connected to the dosage-dispensing unit when the dosage-dispensing unit is not in use, such that at least all gas-pervious parts of the dispensing head are enclosed inside the protective housing in the interior space, which is sealed off tightly from the outside.

2. The container unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a substance-receiving space in the reservoir container;

a fill opening to the substance-receiving space; and

a lid for tightly closing the fill opening so that the substance-receiving space is tightly sealed against the outside environment.

3. The container unit of claim 2, wherein:

the lid and the protective housing are independently connectable to the dosage-dispensing unit.

4. The container unit of claim 3, further comprising:

a lid chamber of the lid; and

a lid chamber passage opening, directed towards the substance-receiving space; and

a lid chamber closure element for closing the lid chamber passage opening gas-tight.

5. The container unit of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

an indicator; and

a sensor,

wherein, as applicable, the indicator or the sensor or both, is arranged in at least one of: the chamber, the interior space and, if applicable, the lid chamber.

6. The container unit of claim 5, further comprising:

a monitoring unit in electrical communication with the sensor.

7. The container unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an observation window on at least one of: the chamber and, if applicable, the lid chamber.

8. The container unit of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of: the reservoir container, at least a part of the housing of the dispensing head and the protective housing is made of a transparent material.

9. The container unit of claim 8, wherein:

the transparent material filters certain wavelengths of light, either inherently or due to a coating thereon.

10. The container unit of claim 9, wherein:

the coated material is arranged in the interior space and also has at least one of: indicator properties and treatment agent properties.

11. The container unit of claim 8, further comprising:

scale markings associated with the reservoir container, for ascertaining the substance quantity in the reservoir container.

12. The container unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a flat bottom of the protective housing, providing a stable base for the container unit to stand on.

13. The container unit of claim 1, wherein:

the reservoir container and the dispensing head are integrally connected as one piece.

14. The container unit of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of: a gas inlet, and a vacuum connection,

wherein each gas inlet and vacuum connection provided is connected to a check valve, so that a gas atmosphere or a sub-ambient atmospheric pressure can be established in the interior space.

15. The container unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an identifier means, arranged at least one of: the reservoir container, the dispensing head and the protective housing, the identifier means selected from the group consisting of: an RFID tag, a barcode- or matrix code label, and a printed or handwritten adhesive label.

16. The container unit of claim 1, further comprising:

a tamper-proof protective seal that seals the protective housing and is designed so that it has to be visibly broken in order to take the dosage-dispensing unit out of the protective housing.

17. The container unit of claim 1, further comprising:

an insert serving to bind laboratory substance particles, arranged in the interior space.

18. A method of filling, transporting and storing a container unit with a laboratory substance, comprising the steps of:

providing a container unit of claim 4;

arranging the dosage-dispensing unit with the protective housing connected as a standing base, with the fill opening open;

filling at least partially the reservoir container of the arranged dosage-dispensing unit with the laboratory substance;

removing or opening the chamber closure element of the lid chamber passage opening and closing the fill opening with the lid; and

storing by enclosing and, optionally sealing, the at least partially filled dosage-dispensing unit in the protective housing.

19. A method for dispensing a laboratory substance from a container unit of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

removing the protective housing from the dosage-dispensing unit with the fill opening remaining closed by the lid;

connecting the dosage-dispensing unit to an actuating device and positioning the dispenser thus assembled above a receiving container;

dispensing at least one dosage of the laboratory substance into the receiving container; and

removing the dosage-dispensing unit from the actuating device, removing or opening the chamber closure element, and replacing the dosage-dispensing unit into the protective housing, after performing the dispensing step one or more times.

20. A method for monitoring a container unit of claim 6 which has been filled and put into storage, comprising the steps of:

establishing and maintaining a measurement signal connection from the sensor to the monitoring unit;

receiving and registering measurement signals at the monitoring unit;

comparing, to at least one threshold value stored in the monitoring unit, at least one measurement signal received by the monitoring unit or a measurement value obtained from the at least one measurement signal; and

transmitting a warning signal, to an output unit that belongs to the monitoring unit, or to the indicator, when the threshold value is found to be exceeded in the comparing step.