CLOSURE ELEMENT WITH VENT OPENING

Abstract

A closure element with at least one vent opening is a sealing plug that has a pin-shaped lower part with an underside. The at least one vent opening is formed by a duct in the sealing plug which, starting at an inlet opening into the duct, extends upwards from the underside of the pin-shaped lower part in the interior of the sealing plug and leads out of the sealing plug through a lateral outlet opening. A method is also disclosed for the complete and bubble-free filling of a container with a closure element and to the use of a filled container provided with a closure.

Claims

1. Closure element having at least one vent opening, characterized in that the closure element is a sealing plug which comprises a pin-shaped lower part with an underside, wherein the at least one vent opening is formed by a duct in the sealing plug which, starting at an inlet opening into the duct, extends upwards from the underside of the pin-shaped lower part in the interior of the sealing plug and leads out of the sealing plug through a lateral outlet opening.

2. Closure element according to claim 1, characterized in that the lateral outlet opening is the only outlet opening of the sealing plug.

3. Closure element according to claim 1, characterized in that the duct in the sealing plug comprises two rectilinear sections, one of which runs centrically through the pin-shaped lower part and the other leads to the lateral outlet opening of the sealing plug.

4. Closure element according to claim 3, characterized in that the two rectilinear sections of the duct are aligned at right angles to one another.

5. Closure element according to claim 3, characterized in that the rectilinear section leading to the lateral outlet opening of the sealing plug is oriented obliquely at an obtuse angle to the rectilinear centric section of the duct.

6. Closure element according to claim 1, characterized in that the duct has an enlarged outlet cross-section at the lateral outlet opening.

7. Closure element according to claim 1, characterized in that the duct has a bevel at the inlet opening on the underside of the pin-shaped lower part.

8. Closure element according to claim 1, characterized in that the pin-shaped lower part of the sealing plug is round or rectangular.

9. Closure element according to claim 1, characterized in that the sealing plug comprises a handle part integrally formed at the top on the pin-shaped lower part via an optional transition region, wherein the lateral outlet opening preferably leads out of the handle part.

10. Closure element according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure element is formed from plastic, wherein PTFE is preferred as the plastic.

11. Container having an interior space, which is delimited by a base and a side wall, and having a container opening, characterized in that in a closure element inserted into the container opening according to claim 1 having a geometry of the pin-shaped lower part matching the container opening, there is a connection from the interior space of the container to the outside through the duct in the sealing plug.

12. Container according to claim 11, characterized in that the container opening is round or rectangular.

13. Container according to claim 11, characterized in that a closure element with a handle part is inserted, wherein the lateral outlet opening leads out of the handle part and the handle part projects beyond the side wall of the container at the lateral outlet opening.

14. Container according to claim 11, characterized in that the container is a cuvette, wherein the cuvette is preferably rectangular in the cross-section thereof.

15. Container according to claim 14, characterized in that the cuvette is made of transparent plastic, glass or quartz glass.

16. Method for the complete and bubble-free filling of a container with a closure element, characterized in that first the container is largely filled with a liquid in the vertical position, that a closure element according to claim 1 is then inserted, wherein air residues and a portion of the filled liquid are displaced and pushed up through the inlet opening into the duct starting at the underside of the pin-shaped lower part by the immersing pin-shaped lower part of the sealing plug, and finally the container is brought into a horizontal position so that the lateral outlet opening of the sealing plug faces upwards with liquid standing in the duct.

17. Use of a filled container with a closure element according to claim 1 for measurements in a horizontal position, wherein the container is preferably a cuvette.

18. Use according to claim 17, characterized in that the measurements are carried out in a horizontal position on cuvettes filled with sample liquids on an adapter in a microplate reader.

19. Use according to claim 18, characterized in that the measurements are photometric measurements selected from a group of wavelengths and detection methods comprising UV, VIS, NIR, IR, fluorescence, luminescence and absorption.

Description

[0036] In the following, the invention is explained in more detail by means of schematic figures which represent exemplary embodiments which do not restrict the scope of the present invention, wherein:

[0037] FIGS. 1A-1C show a closure element according to the invention inserted in a container in different views, namely:

[0038] FIG. 1A shows a longitudinal section through the container with inserted closure element in the plane of the vent duct;

[0039] FIG. 1B shows a side view of the container with the closure element inserted with a frontal view of the lateral outlet opening in the handle part of the sealing plug;

[0040] FIG. 1C shows a view from above of the container with the closure element inserted;

[0041] FIGS. 2A-E show a closure element according to the invention in different views, namely:

[0042] FIG. 2A shows a longitudinal section through the closure element in the plane of the vent duct;

[0043] FIG. 2B shows a side view of the closing element with a frontal view of the lateral outlet opening in the handle part of the closing plug;

[0044] FIG. 2C shows a top view of the closure element;

[0045] FIG. 2D shows a side view of the closure element from the opposite side of the outlet opening in the handle part;

[0046] FIG. 2E shows a view of the underside of the closure element;

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section through another embodiment of a closure element according to the invention in the plane of the vent duct;

[0048] FIG. 4 shows a longitudinal section through a further embodiment of a closure element according to the invention in the plane of the vent duct.

[0049] FIGS. 1A-C schematically show a closure element 1 according to the invention inserted into a container 2, which is shown here standing vertically on its base 15. The closure element 1 shown here comprises a handle part 5. In the case shown, the container 2 represents a rectangular cuvette. The geometry of the pin-shaped lower part 3 of the closure element 1 matches the container opening 4 and is of conical shape in the example shown. In the partial FIGS. 1A and 1C, it can be seen as an advantageous embodiment that the handle part 5 with its lateral outlet opening 6 projects beyond the side wall 7 of the container 2. The other three sides of handle part 5 do not protrude beyond this, so that it is possible to place container 2 horizontally, in particular on the partial wall of side wall 7 which is opposite to the outlet opening 6 in handle part 5 when closure element 1 is inserted. In the partial FIGS. 1A and 1B, where the vent duct 8 leads into the lateral outlet opening 6, an area with an extended outlet cross-section is drawn. The latter serves as an expansion space for displaced liquid in the horizontal position of the container 2. Further details of the closure element 1 according to the invention are explained using FIGS. 2A-E.

[0050] FIGS. 2A-E show in the partial FIGS. 2A-E the closure element 1 according to the invention from FIGS. 1A-C again separately in different views. The views of FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C correspond to the analog views of FIGS. 1A-C. In addition, FIGS. 2D and 2E show views of the closure element 1 from other viewing directions, as shown in the figure overview. FIG. 2A shows an embodiment of the closure element 1 according to the invention, in which the duct 8 in the sealing plug 1 comprises two rectilinear sections, of which one section 9, starting at the inlet opening 10 on the underside 11, runs centrically through the pin-shaped lower part 3, and the other section 12, leading to the lateral outlet opening 6 in the handle part 5, is aligned at a right angle thereto. At the point where it flows into the lateral outlet opening 6, duct 8 has an area with an extended outlet cross-section (as already mentioned in FIGS. 1A-C). The sealing plug 1 shown here has a transition area 13 between the pin-shaped lower part 3 and the handle part 5 integrally formed on top, here in the form of a constriction.

[0051] In a view comparable to FIG. 2A, FIG. 3 shows another advantageous embodiment of a closure element 1 in which the rectilinear section 12 of duct 8 leading to the lateral outlet opening 6 of handle part 5 is aligned obliquely at an obtuse angle to the rectilinear central section 9 of duct 8. Such an oblique hole may prevent small gas bubbles from getting stuck at the angle of the two rectilinear sections of duct 8 which meet. Here, too, it is preferred, as shown, if the duct 8, where it opens into the lateral outlet opening 6, has an area with an extended outlet cross-section. The sealing plug 1 shown in FIG. 3 also has a transition area 13 in the form of a constriction between the cone-shaped lower part 3 and the handle part 5 integrally formed on top.

[0052] FIG. 4 shows a different embodiment of a closure element 1 to illustrate further possible embodiments of individual features. In this embodiment of a sealing plug 1, there is a transition area 13 in the form of a cylindrical neck between the pin-shaped lower part 3 and the handle part 5 integrally formed on top. The lateral outlet opening 6 leads out of this neck. The vent duct 8 shown here has a centric rectilinear section 9 through the pin-shaped lower part 3, and a curved shape in the section towards the lateral outlet opening 6. A further detail can be seen in FIG. 4 on the underside 11 of the cone-shaped lower part 3: Here, duct 8 has a bevel 14 at the inlet opening 10. The shown bevel has a conical shape like a funnel. Air residues or gas bubbles can enter and escape upwards more easily into an inlet opening designed in this way.

[0053] A beveling of the entrance opening can be applied to all embodiments of a closure element according to the invention and is not tied to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

[0054] At this point it should be noted that any combination of the features described and/or shown in the figures is part of the scope of the present invention as long as the combinations are not inconsistent.

[0055] As can be seen from the description and explanations of the figures, this invention provides a versatile solution with several advantages.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0056] The same reference numerals in the figures indicate corresponding features, even if the description of the individual figures does not always refer to them explicitly.

1 Closure element, sealing plug

2 Container

[0057] 3 Pin-shaped lower part of the closure element
4 Container opening
5 Handle part of the sealing plug
6 Lateral outlet opening from the sealing plug
7 Side wall of the container
8 Duct, vent duct
9 Centric rectilinear section of the duct
10 Inlet opening into the duct
11 Underside of the pin-shaped lower part
12 Rectilinear section of the duct leading to the lateral opening of the sealing plug
13 Transition area of the sealing plug
14 Beveling of the inlet opening
15 Base of the container