MARKS, Neil H. (9/19 Hayovel Street, Ra'anana, 43400, IL)
| CLAIMS: 1. Handheld titration device for use with a drop dispenser including a barrel having a graduation scale, a drop dispenser tip and containing a chemical reagent, and a reaction vial having a reaction vial body containing a liquid undergoing testing, the titration device comprising a handheld upright support member including a reaction vial holding mechanism for holding the reaction vial and a drop dispenser holding mechanism for holding the drop dispenser in a generally concentric relationship above the reaction vial thereby enabling a user to hold said support member to single handedly support an assemblage of the titration device, the drop dispenser and the reaction vial and perform steps of (a) actuating the drop dispenser for injecting a chemical reagent drop into the liquid undergoing testing, (b) agitating said assemblage and observing the liquid undergoing testing for detecting a color change and (c) repeating the steps (a) and (b) until detecting a color change for enabling recording the chemical reagent volume required to achieve said color change. 2. The device according to claim 1 wherein said support member includes an inclined hand support for resting on the top of a user's hand holding said support member for preventing said assemblage slipping down through his hand. 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said reaction vial holding mechanism screw threads onto a threaded vial rim of the reaction vial body. 4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said drop dispenser holding mechanism includes at: least one tubular holding member for passage of the barrel therethrough. 5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said drop dispenser holding mechanism includes an upper tubular holding member for sliding passage of the barrel therethrough and a spaced apart lower tubular holding member in registration with said upper tubular holding member for receiving the drop dispenser tip on sliding insertion of the barrel through said upper tubular holding member. 6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the drop dispenser includes at least one outwardly directed finger grip for resting on said drop dispenser holding mechanism. 7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said support member has a generally semi-cylindrical shape. |
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to titration equipment.
Background of the Invention
Titration involves adding a chemical reagent to a liquid undergoing testing for causing a color change in the presence of a particular concentration of a chemical substance in the liquid undergoing testing. Sophisticated titration equipment is available for use within a laboratory, however, outside of a laboratory environment, users typically hold a drop dispenser having been previously filled with a chemical reagent in one hand and hold and agitate a reaction vial previously filled with a liquid undergoing testing in his other hand. Users typically align the drop dispenser with the reaction vial and add a chemical reagent drop to the liquid undergoing testing, agitate the reaction vial to ensure mixing with the liquid undergoing testing and preferably hold the reaction vial at eye level to facilitate visual detection of a potential color change. Users may often add a chemical drop to liquid toward one side of a reaction vial which may affect the efficacy of a testing procedure. Users repeat the above steps to achieve a color change whereupon they record the chemical reagent volume required to achieve same.
Summary of the Invention '
The present invention is directed toward a handheld titration device for use with a drop dispenser including a barrel having a graduation scale, a drop dispenser tip and containing a chemical reagent, and a reaction vial having a reaction vial body containing a liquid undergoing testing, the titration device including a handheld upright support member having a reaction vial holding mechanism for holding a reaction vial and a drop dispenser holding mechanism for holding the drop dispenser in a generally concentric relationship above the reaction vial thereby enabling a user to hold the support member to single handedly support an assemblage of the titration device, the drop dispenser and the reaction vial and perform steps of (a) actuating the drop dispenser for injecting a chemical reagent drop into the liquid undergoing testing, (b) agitating the assemblage and observing the liquid undergoing testing for detecting a color change and (c) repeating the steps (a) and (b) until detecting a color change for enabling recording the chemical reagent volume required to achieve the color change.
The holding mechanisms can support the drop dispenser and the reaction vial mounted thereon, can be in the form of vice members, and the like. Actuation of the drop dispenser can be in the form of depressing a plunger, pressing an actuation button, and the like. The titration device facilitates a convenient single handed run of a chemical test on a liquid undergoing testing in comparison to hitherto situation in which a user holds a drop dispenser in one hand and a reaction vial in his other: hand. Moreover, the titration device facilitates accurate adding of chemical reagent drops to the center of a liquid under testing thereby improving the efficacy of a testing procedure. The titration device can be equally used by left and right hand users.
Brief Description of Drawings
In order to understand the invention and to see how it can be carried out in practice, a preferred embodiment will! now be described, by way of a non- limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which similar parts are likewise numbered, and in which:
Fig. 1 is a pictorial representation of a drop dispenser, a reaction vial and a handheld titration device;
Fig. 2 is a front perspective view of an assemblage of Figure 1 's titration device, drop dispenser and reaction vial;
Fig. 3 is a front perspective view showing a user holding Figure 2's assemblage;
Fig. 4 is a side elevation view of Figure 1 's titration device; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal cross section of Figure l 's titration device along line A-A in Figure 4;
Fig. 6 is a right side view of Figure 2's assemblage prior to injection of chemical reagent into liquid under testing; and
Fig. 7 is a right side view of Figure 2's assemblage further to injection of chemical reagent into liquid under testing.
Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment of the Invention
Figure 1 shows a drop dispenser 10, a reaction vial 20 and a handheld titration device 30. The drop dispenser 10 includes a barrel 11 with a pair of outwardly directed opposite finger grips 12 and a drop dispenser tip 13, a plunger 14 with a plunger head 16 and a seal 17 for sealing against the barrel 11. The drop dispenser 10 contains a chemical reagent CR. The drop dispenser tip 13 preferably has a 22 gauge for enabling accurate 0.1 mm 3 drops of chemical reagent. The barrel 11 has a gradation scale 18 for accurate volume determinations of chemical reagent contents. The reaction vial 20 has a reaction vial body 21 with a threaded vial rim 22 and a screw cap 23. The reaction vial 20 contains a predetermined volume of liquid L to be tested.
Figures 1 to 5 show the titration device 30 has an upright longitudinal axis A and includes a handheld upright generally semi-cylindrical support member 31, a reaction vial holding mechanism 32 for holding the reaction vial 20 and a drop dispenser holding mechanism 33 for holding the drop dispenser 10 in a generally concentric relationship above the reaction vial 20. The titration device 30 includes a tubular upper holding member 34 and a spaced apart tubular lower holding member 35 transversely directed to the longitudinal axis A. The upper holding member 34 has a throughgoing bore 36 sized and dimensioned for sliding passage of the barrel 11 therethrough whereupon the finger grips 12 rest thereon. The lower holding member 35 has a throughgoing bore 37 in registration with the throughgoing bore 36 for receiving the drop dispenser tip 13 therethrough on sliding insertion of the barrel 11 through the throughgoing bore 36. The lower holding member 35 is formed with an internal screw thread 38 for screw thread engagement on the vial rim 22. The titration device 30 has a longitudinal semi-cylindrical cutout 39 defined between the support member 31, the upper holding member 34 and the lower holding member 35 for enabling a user to observe a drop dispenser's graduation scale 18 on insertion thereinto.
The throughgoing bore 37 is fitted with an annular seal 41 with a flange member 42 for sealing against the vial rim 22 on screw thread engagement of the vial body 21 on the titration device 30. The annular seal 41 is also formed with a tubular sealing member 43 for sealing against the drop dispenser tip 13 on insertion of the drop dispenser 10 into the titration device 30.
The titration device 30 is intended to be gripped by a user's hand with his fingers curling around its support member 31 opposite the longitudinal cutout 39. The titration device 30 is formed with an inclined hand support 44 outwardly extending from the upper holding member 34 in an opposite direction to the longitudinal cutout 39 for resting on the top of a user's hand gripping an assemblage 50 of the titration device 30, the drop dispenser 10 and the vial body 21 for preventing the assemblage 50 slipping downwards through his hand gripping the support member 31.
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The use of the titration device 30 is now described with reference to
Figures 6 and 7. A user fills the reaction vial with a predetermined volume of liquid to be tested and screws threads the vial body onto the titration device. The user aspirates a chemical reagent into the drop dispenser and slidingly inserts the drop dispenser into the titration device such that its drop dispenser tip overlies the reaction vial to form an assemblage of the titration device, the drop dispenser and the reaction vial. The user holds the support member to support the assemblage and places his thumb atop the drop dispenser's plunger head. The user preferably holds the assemblage at eye level facing the graduation scale and slightly depresses the plunger head to inject a chemical reagent drop into the liquid undergoing testing. The user agitates the assemblage to ensure the chemical reagent drop mixes with the liquid undergoing testing. The user observes the liquid undergoing testing for a color change. The user can single handedly repeat injecting a chemical reagent drop and agitating the assemblage several times until he observes a color change. The user records the volume of chemical reagent required to cause the color change.
While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications, and other applications of the invention can be made within the scope of the appended claims.
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