Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an improved microbiological media container. In various aspects the invention may provide improvements to containers which define a plurality of compartments used to contain different types of microbiological media.

Background of the Invention

Microbiological media containers are used to house and isolate materials used to sustain microbiological organisms. Invariably these organisms are grown for subsequent identification, analysis or testing processes. The media selected to sustain a particular organism can also differ based on the process an organism is to be subjected to, or may be used to culture an organism to promote or inhibit growth. In some instances a single sample of an organism may need to be deposited on several different types of media to facilitate several different types of analysis, identification or testing processes.

Existing microbiological media containers define or enclose a volume using a base, side wall(s) and a covering lid. These containers are configured to enclose a single common cell or compartment, or may be divided into a number of individual or isolated compartments, each of which being able to receive its own type of microbiological media. Multi compartment containers are useful when a sample is deposited on several different types of media and is to undergo a number of assessment processes. A multi compartment container therefore simplifies handling and identification of organisms in such applications.

Such multi compartment containers are normally formed by adding a moulded insert divider which forms a number of internal walls. In these applications a single solid internal wall is used to partition or divide adjacent regions of a container into different compartments. These dividers are formed with dimensions which engage with the interior surfaces of the container. It is common for multi compartment containers to be formed from a single integral moulded element which bonds the container base and perimeter walls with the underside and edges of the divider.

However these forms of existing multi compartment containers are susceptible to failure if exposed to stress, excessive force or impacts in general. Micro cracks can form in a solid interior wall formed by a divider, or may form at the interface between this interior wall and the base or perimeter wall of the container. These cracks can allow material present in one isolated cell or compartment to migrate to an adjacent compartment, potentially contaminating this compartment and changing visual appearances, allowing for the transport of potentially inhibitory or reactive substances from a neighbouring cell, rendering the media useless for use or invalidating any information which can subsequently be obtained from it. The failure of an internal divider is not necessarily apparent due to the size of the micro cracks which cause these problems, potentially allowing invalid information obtained from the assessment of a compromised compartment to be treated as valid, or casting dispersion, a greater level of uncertainty and a higher level of error in testing.

In some instances a microbiological media container may be transported to an end user with modified atmospheric control compounds in its interior. In various applications such compounds can provide an inert non-reactive atmosphere, or can prevent oxidisation of components in the media within the interior of the packaged container. The activity of these atmosphere modifying compounds can change the pressure of gas trapped within the interior of the container, resulting in additional stress or force being applied which may damage or compromise the structure of the container.

It would be of advantage to have improvements in the field of microbiological media containers which addressed any or all of the above issues, or at least provided the public with a further choice. An improved media container which allowed multiple different types of media to be deployed in isolated compartments while providing a strengthened or robust construction would be of advantage. It would also be of advantage to have an improved media container which minimised the risk of material or agents present in one isolated compartment migrating through to an adjacent compartment. Disclosure of the Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a microbiological media container which includes a base and at least one perimeter wall where the base and at least one perimeter wall at least partially enclose and define an interior container volume, and at least one set of two or more parallel aligned compartment walls spaced apart from one another to define a separation volume between adjacent compartment walls, the compartment walls being located within the interior container volume and engaged with the base and at least one perimeter wall to divide the interior container volume into a plurality of compartments.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a removable insert component for a microbiological media container which includes at least one set of two or more parallel aligned compartment walls spaced apart from one another to define a separation volume between adjacent walls, the insert component being characterised in that when located within the interior volume of a microbiological media container the compartment walls divide the interior container volume into a plurality of compartments.

In one aspect the present invention provides a microbiological media container used to define an interior container volume. In another aspect the invention provides a removable insert component for a microbiological container. The interior container volume is bounded by a base and at least one perimeter wall, and in various embodiments may also be closed or sealed by a lid component applied to and removed to from engagement with the perimeter wall(s). The materials employed to form the base and perimeter wall(s) can be selected for compatibility with various forms of microbiological media.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a range of shapes and dimensions can be utilised to form such a container, with the exterior shape or form of the container dictating the number of perimeter walls it has. For example, a single circular perimeter wall defines a cylindrical container, while four perimeter walls can define square or rectangular form containers.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the exterior form, shape or dimensions of this microbiological media container may be equivalent or similar to that provided in the prior art, allowing for interchangeability with existing container handling and processing equipment. In preferred embodiments the container may also be provided with a lid component with a complimentary form to that of the perimeter wall or walls, allowing the interior container volume to be covered when required.

Reference throughout the specification will predominantly be made to the invention providing a microbiological media container having a cylindrical form defined by a single circular perimeter wall and also incorporating a removable lid. Again those skilled in the art will appreciate that other configurations or forms of containers are also within the scope of the invention. Reference throughout this specification will also be made to the invention providing a container per se, and again this reference should be understood to be made to a microbiological media container.

A container provided by the invention includes at least one set of two or more parallel aligned compartment walls. These compartment walls are spaced apart from one another to define a separation volume between adjacent walls. Where three or more compartment walls are provided in a set at least one of these walls may therefore be located inside this separation volume. A set of compartment walls provided with the invention is to be located within the interior container volume to divide this volume into a plurality of compartments.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the number of sets of parallel aligned compartment walls provided by the invention will be determined by the number of compartments required in the interior of the container.

Various compartment wall set geometries can also allow for the intersection of different sets of compartment walls to provide variability in the number and shape of the resulting compartments. For example, in one embodiment a single set of parallel aligned compartment walls may be provided which bisects the interior container volume, forming to equal surface area compartments. In other embodiments two intersecting sets of compartment walls may meet at right angles at the approximately the centre of the interior container volume to define four equal surface area compartments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a range of configurations and geometries of sets of compartment walls may be provided in various embodiments.

In a preferred embodiment a single set of parallel aligned compartment walls may be formed from two adjacent compartment walls only. In such embodiments these two walls can each bound and define the perimeter of the separation volume with open space provided between the adjacent walls.

However in alternative embodiments three or potentially more compartment walls may be provided within a set forming a separation volume. In such embodiments at least one of these walls will be located within the separation volume and may provide additional structural strength and an additional barrier to compounds migrating between adjacent compartments.

Reference throughout this specification will however be made to a set of compartment walls having only two parallel aligned walls. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other arrangements are also within the scope of the invention.

As indicated above the length of the sets of compartment walls can vary depending on the form, shape or dimensions of the compartments required within the interior of the container. The adjacent ends of the set of compartment walls can terminate at and engage with the interior surface of the container's perimeter wall. The opposite ends of the same set of compartment walls can terminate at and engage with a distal perimeter wall, or potentially meet another set of walls at an angle. In yet other embodiments a set of compartment walls may intersect with a further set of compartment walls and then continue to span the interior container volume from one perimeter wall to a distal perimeter wall. In various embodiments any sets of compartment walls provided with the invention may be formed from an independent or separate moulded insert component. In such embodiments a removable insert component may be provided to define the compartment walls for a container. In these embodiments the invention may be implemented through insertion of an insert component into an existing prior art container. In such embodiments the compartment wall sets may be held inside and located in place within the interior container volume through use of adhesive and/or a close friction fit with the container's perimeter wall and base.

However in other embodiments sets of compartment walls may be provided as an integral moulded part of the base and perimeter wall or walls of the container. In such embodiments the compartment and perimeter walls and the base may be formed from a single unitary component which exhibits a high degree of structural strength and integrity.

In some embodiments where the container is also provided with a sealing or closing lid component the separation volume defined by set of compartment walls may be fully enclosed by a combination of the perimeter wall or walls, interior base surface and the interior surface of the lid when applied. However in other embodiments this separation volume may alternatively be enclosed without the provision of a lid by a bridging structure spanning the tops of the adjacent perimeter walls. This additional bridging element can provide further structural strength to the resulting container while also controlling access to the separation volume without the need for a lid. In yet further embodiments the upper surfaces of the compartment walls may be recessed from a closing lid, preventing the lid from touching the walls and providing for gas exchange in the separation volume.

In various embodiments a failure evidence compound, coating or deposit may be applied within a separation volume defined by set of compartment walls. Failure evidence materials may provide a visual indication to an observer that the integrity of a compartment wall or the adjacent section of the container base has been compromised. These types of failures may be through the formation of a micro crack which may not necessarily be visible to the naked eye. In some embodiments the failure evident material provided may react to the migration of compounds from an adjacent compartment to provide the visual indication required.

In various additional embodiments a failure evident compound may be formed from a dye which exhibits a colour change when exposed to or interacting with various materials which can be present next to a compartment wall. For example, such dyes may change colour based on reagent interactions, pH changes or isotonic changes caused by salts.

In a preferred embodiment the width of the separation volume extending between each compartment wall may be equal to a number of multiples of the width of each compartment wall. For example in one preferred embodiment the lateral width of this separation volume may be the same as the width of each compartment wall. Yet other embodiments wider separation volumes may be employed which extend two or three multiples of the compartment wall thickness.

The present invention may provide many potential advantages over the prior art.

In various embodiments the invention can provide an improved microbiological media container with a strengthened robust design, minimising the chances of the container failing after rough handling or impact events. The improvements provided by the invention also minimise the risk of breaches or failures of an internal compartment forming barrier system which will allow for the transport or intermingling of the contents of adjacent compartments. Furthermore the robust nature of the invention has the potential to increase the shelf life of containers loaded with microbiological media and stored ready for use. These characteristics of the invention also readily allow for the use of low-pressure or modifying gas environments within the compartments formed within the container.

In some embodiments the separation volume defined between two or more parallel compartment walls may also contain a failure evidence compound which provides a visual indication that one or more of the compartment walls or adjacent base have been breached. Brief description of the drawings

Additional and further aspects of the present invention will be apparent to the reader from the following description of embodiments, given in by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• figure 1 provides a top view of a prior art microbiological media container defining a set of four compartments, and

• figure 2 provides a top view of a microbiological media container provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment, and

• figure 3 provides a perspective view of the microbiological media container illustrated with respect to figure 2.

Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which is given by way of example only of particular embodiments.

Best modes for carrying out the invention

Figure 1 provides a top view of a prior art microbiological media container 1 defining a set of four compartments. This container is defined by a single circular perimeter wall 2 projecting at a right angle from a flat circular base 3. A lid (not shown) can also be applied over the exterior surface of the perimeter wall to fully enclose an interior volume defined by this container.

The container incorporates an insert 4 deployed within the interior volume to define the four compartments 5 required of the container. This insert is formed by two solid walls which intersect in the middle of the interior volume of the container. As can be seen from figure 1 only a single layer solid wall of material is provided to separate adjacent compartments. Micro cracks present in a wall or in the base underneath the wall can allow compounds to travel between adjacent compartments. The failure of the insert in these circumstances is also difficult to detect. The single walled structure utilised for the insert 4 contributes little to the overall strength or robustness of the container provided. Figures 2 and 3 provide top and perspective views of a microbiological media container 101 as provided in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention. In a similar manner to the prior art container shown with respect to figure 1, the container 101 of figures 2 and 3 also includes a single circular perimeter wall 102 projecting at a right angle from a flat circular base 103. Again, a lid (not shown) can also be applied over the exterior surface of the perimeter wall to fully enclose an interior volume defined by this container.

The container 101 includes two sets of two parallel aligned compartment walls 110 which are spaced apart from one another. The intervening space between each set of two parallel compartment walls 110 defines a separation volume 111. As can be seen from figures 2 and 3 each of these two sets of compartment walls 110 have a perpendicular alignment to one another and intersect at the centre point of the base 103 of the container.

The two sets of paired parallel compartment walls engage with the base and perimeter wall through the container being formed as a single integrally moulded element. This arrangement bonds the compartment walls in place and defines four separate compartments 105 within the interior volume of the container.

Each set of two parallel compartment walls 110 contribute significantly to the structural strength and robustness of the container. Both compartment walls of a set act as parallel bracing elements, minimising the chances of micro cracks forming in the materials of the container with impacts and rough handling.

The provision of two spaced apart parallel aligned compartment walls also minimises the risk of micro crack breaches allowing for the migration of compounds from one compartment to an adjacent compartment. The separation of adjacent compartment walls provides an extra separation volume which must be crossed by such compounds. Furthermore multiple breaks, cracks or breaches must be formed in the adjacent compartment walls and/or base relatively close together for this to occur. In the preceding description and the following claims the word "comprise" or equivalent variations thereof is used in an inclusive sense to specify the presence of the stated feature or features. This term does not preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and further and additional embodiments within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to the skilled reader from the examples illustrated with reference to the drawings. In particular, the invention may reside in any combination of features described herein, or may reside in alternative embodiments or combinations of these features with known equivalents to given features. Modifications and variations of the example embodiments of the invention discussed above will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departure of the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.