Manual metering device and manual metering device arrangement

Abstract

In order to be able to adapt a manual dosing device (1), in particular a pipette (2), to differently sized hand dimensions, the manual dosing device (1) at whose main body (3) at least one grip (5) or exchangeable grip is releasable, fastenable or fastened is proposed. Adaptation of the manual dosing device (1) to users having different hand sizes can be performed by removing the grip (5) or by changing the grip (5) and replacing the grip (5) with a grip (5) having different dimensions (FIG. 1).

Claims

1. A manual dosing device (1), in particular pipette (2), having a main body (3) and having a fluid-dispensing unit (4) which is connected to the main body (3), the manual dosing device (1) having a grip (5) which is releasably fastened to the main body (3) of the manual dosing device (1) so as to be removable therefrom, wherein the grip (5) and the main body (3) are thermally decoupled from one another by an air gap (21) formed between an outer side (6) of the main body (3) and the grip (5), the outer side (6) of the main body (3) facing the grip (5).

2. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grip (5) is in the form of an exchangeable grip, which is replaceable by another grip (5), the another grip (5) being matched to another hand size and being releasably fastenable to the main body (3).

3. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 1 wherein, for the releasable fastening of the grip (5), at least one fastening element (7), which is matched to the grip (5), is formed on the outer side (6) of the main body (3) and at least one matching mating fastening element (9) is formed on a mating side (8) of the grip (5), the mating side facing the main body (3).

4. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one fastening element (7) is in the form of a fastening projection.

5. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the fastening projection is in the form of a mushroom head-shaped, fastening knob.

6. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one matching mating fastening element (9) is one of: a strip receptacle, mating receptacle, and mating knob.

7. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one fastening element (7) and the at least one matching mating element (9) are in the form of magnetic fastening elements.

8. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grip (5) comprises a grip shell (10) which at least partially surrounds the main body (3) in the position of use.

9. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grip (5) is formed such that the grip (5) surrounds the main body (3) in an angular range of more than 180° in the position of use and is able to be slid axially onto the main body (3) into the position of use.

10. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein a sliding stop for the grip (5) is located on the main body (3).

11. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grip (5) is of hook-shaped form at an upper end (12) thereof, which is adjacent to a head end (11) of the main body (3).

12. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the manual dosing device (1) has an actuating element (13) which axially projects beyond the grip (5) in the position of use.

13. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fluid-dispensing unit (4) is releasably connected to the main body (3).

14. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grip (5) is ergonomically shaped to match a previously measured hand shape.

15. A manual dosing device arrangement comprising at least one manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 1 and at least two grips (5), which are matched to different hand sizes and are fastenable in a reversibly releasable manner to a main body (3) of the at least one manual dosing device (1).

16. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the manual dosing device (1) has a volume-adjusting means which axially projects beyond the grip (5) in the position of use.

17. The manual dosing device (1) as claimed in claim 16, wherein the volume-adjusting means is a volume-adjusting wheel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) An exemplary embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below on the basis of the drawing. In the drawing, in part in a highly schematized illustration:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a side view of a manual dosing device according to the invention, in the form of a manually actuable mechanical pipette, with a grip, which is removed from a main body of the manual dosing device, wherein two fastening elements in the form of fastening knobs can be seen on an outer side of the main body of the manual dosing device, and

(3) FIG. 2 shows a sectioned side view of the manual dosing device illustrated in FIG. 1 with the grip in its position of use, fastened to the outer side of the main body, wherein it can be seen that the two fastening elements engage into mating fastening elements, formed in a manner matching the fastening elements, in the form of two mating receptacles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a manual dosing device, denoted as a whole by 1, which is in the form of a manually actuable mechanical pipette 2 in the present case. The manual dosing device 1 comprises a main body 3 and a fluid-dispensing unit 4 which is connected to the main body 3. A grip 5 is provided on the main body 3 and is, as per FIG. 2, releasably fastened to the main body 3 and exchangeable. Consequently, the grip 5 may also be referred to as an exchangeable grip.

(5) For the releasable fastening of the grip 5 to the main body 3, two fastening elements 7 which are matched to the grip 5 are formed on an outer side 6 of the main body 3. Formed on a mating side 8 of the grip 5, which mating side faces the main body 3 in the position of use of the grip 5, are mating fastening elements 9 which are formed in a manner matching the fastening elements 7.

(6) In the exemplary embodiment of the manual dosing device according to the invention which is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fastening elements 7 are fastening knobs, or fastening projections, which engage into the mating fastening elements 9, in the form of mating receptacles as per FIG. 2, on the mating side 8 of the grip 5.

(7) At this juncture, it is worth noting that the two fastening elements 7 on the main body 3 are also matched to a holding device of an automatic manual dosing appliance or of an automatic pipetting appliance. This means that, with the grip 5 removed, the manual dosing device 1 can be fastened to a holding device of a manual dosing device or of an automatic pipetting appliance, with the result that the manual dosing device can also be used in an automatic operation.

(8) Both figures show that the main body 3 and the manual dosing device 1 have, overall, a rounded, round and here even substantially circular cross section and are, at least sectionally, of cylindrical form. The grip 5 comprises a grip shell 10, with which said grip at least partially surrounds the main body 3 of the manual dosing device in the position of use as per FIG. 2.

(9) Both figures show that the grip is of hook-shaped form at its upper end 12, which is adjacent to a head end 11 of the main body 3. The manual dosing device 1 has at its head end 11 an actuating element 13 and a volume-adjusting means 14 in the form of a volume-adjusting wheel. Both the actuating element 13 and the volume-adjusting means 14 axially project beyond the grip 5 in the position of use, with the result that both the actuating element 13 and the volume-adjusting means 14 can be comfortably reached by a user even with the grip 5 in the position of use.

(10) The grip 5 and the main body 3 are thermally decoupled from one another. This allows a transfer of heat from the grip 5 to the main body 3, which could impair an accuracy of the manual dosing device 1, to be reduced or even avoided. For the purpose of the thermal decoupling, an air gap 21 is formed between the outer side 6, facing the grip 5, of the main body 3 and the grip 5.

(11) The figures show that the grip 5 is ergonomically shaped and produced in a manner matched to a previously measured hand shape. This can occur by means of a rapid prototyping process.

(12) Merely for the sake of completeness, it should be noted that the fluid-dispensing unit 4 is releasably connected to the main body 3. For this purpose, a screw, plug-in, snap and/or combined snap/screw connection may be provided between the fluid-dispensing unit 4 and the main body 3.

(13) The manual dosing device 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 forms, together with a further grip (not illustrated separately in the figures), a manual dosing device arrangement. The special feature here is that the at least two grips 5, which can be releasably fastened to the main body 3 of the manual dosing device and are interchangeable, have different dimensions and are thus matched to different hand sizes of different users. It is thus possible for the manual dosing device 1 to be adapted to different hand sizes without great effort by a simple change of the grips 5 assigned to the manual dosing device 1 according to the invention.

(14) The fluid-dispensing unit 4 is in the form of a plunger unit and comprises a receiving chamber 15, for receiving an air cushion, and a shaft 16. The receiving chamber 15 is connected via a dispensing duct 17 formed in the shaft 16 to a dispensing opening 19 formed at a free end 18 of the shaft 16. Actuating the manual dosing device 1, that is to say pushing the actuating element 13, results in the air cushion in the receiving chamber 15 being displaced in the direction of the dispensing opening 19. In this way, a volume of liquid which is held in a pipette tip (not illustrated in the figures), which is fitted onto the free end 18 of the shaft 16, can be dispensed. When the air cushion is displaced in the reverse direction, a negative pressure is generated at the fitted-on pipette tip, with the aid of which negative pressure a defined volume of liquid, which depends on the preset volume of the air cushion, can be received in the pipette tip. The volume of the air cushion can be predefined by the volume-adjusting means 14.

(15) The shaft 16 is surrounded by an ejector sleeve 20. By applying pressure axially to the volume-adjusting means 14, the ejector sleeve 20 can be displaced axially relative to the shaft 16 in the direction of the free end 18 of the shaft 16. The aim of this is to eject a pipette tip, fitted onto the free end 18 of the shaft 16, as required.

(16) In order to be able to adapt a manual dosing device 1, in particular a pipette, to differently sized hand dimensions, the manual dosing device 1 at whose main body 3 at least one grip 5 or exchangeable grip is releasable, fastenable or fastened is proposed. Adaptation of the manual dosing device 1 to users having different hand sizes can be performed by removing the grip 5 or by changing the grip 5 and replacing the grip 5 with a grip 5 having different dimensions.