Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to the field of sample handling devices and more in particular to devices for preparing a sample for analyte detection.

Background of the invention

When one wishes to detect an analyte in a sample, a typical procedure involves collecting the sample, bringing the sample to a laboratory, preparing the sample (e.g. by mixing it with an appropriate solvent or electrolyte), than analysing the sample with an appropriate technique (such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry or an electrochemical technique). This is, however, a long, expensive, and cumbersome procedure.

Many real-life situations benefit from an on-site procedure. One example is the detection of antibiotic residues in agricultural products. Another example is the detection of narcotics by police officers and custom services. In general, the on-site detection of narcotics involves the use of field tests in the form of colour tests. A colour test is a presumptive test that provides an indication of the presence or absence of a compound. Colour tests are used on-site as a quick and cheap screening method. There are, however, two important problems associated with the colour tests. Firstly, this conventional technique can be easily influenced by adding certain compounds to the narcotic mixtures, causing the test to show a false negative or a false-positive result. Moreover, the test is influenced by temperature. Because of all these concerns, colour test results need further confirmation in the laboratory by more sophisticated techniques such as gas chromatography or mass spectrometry which are laborious and both time consuming and costly.

Electrochemical techniques offer an alternative for on-site screening of illicit drugs. However, existing electrochemical procedures remain relatively tedious and require many manipulations. They involve wearing gloves for manipulating the sample, collecting and weighting a predetermined amount of sample with a spatula, placing the predetermined amount of sample in a recipient and pouring in that recipient a predetermined volume of electrolyte, mixing the sample with the electrolyte, taking a volume of mixture with a pipette, carefully placing a drop of mixture on a screen-printed electrode so that it covers well the whole electrode, inserting the electrode in a potentiostat, connecting a smartphone to the potentiostat and waiting for the smartphone to analyze the acquired data.

Many analysis techniques involve the same kind of tedious and labour- intensive procedures. There is, therefore, a need in the art for devices simplifying the on-site handling of samples.

WO 02/058845 describes a reaction vessel for performing processes or reactions therein, in particular amperometric immunoassays. There is however still a need in the art for devices simplifying the on-site handling of samples.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide good devices for handling samples as well as device parts specifically designed for that purpose and new uses for such devices.

The above objective is accomplished by a device according to the present invention.

In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a sample handling device comprising a housing containing: a. a reservoir for containing a liquid, the reservoir comprising an opening for rotatably coupling with a cap, b. the cap comprising: i. a coupling element for coupling the cap with a motor so that a rotational and translational movement can be given to the cap, ii. a first side adapted for rotatably coupling with the opening so that the reservoir can be closed in a liquid-tight manner, and iii. a second side, opposite to the first side, comprising a mixing implement, and c. a mixing chamber, fluidly connected with the reservoir when the reservoir is open, comprising an inlet for a sample, and wherein the housing comprises a first opening for permitting the coupling of the motor with the coupling element, and a second opening for giving the sample access to the inlet.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a cap comprising: i. a coupling element for coupling the cap with a motor so that a rotational and translational movement can be given to the cap, ii. a first side adapted for rotatably coupling with an opening of a reservoir so that the reservoir can be closed in a liquid-tight manner, and iii. a second side, opposite to the first side, comprising a mixing implement.

In a third aspect, the present invention relates to the sample handling device of any embodiment of the first aspect for handling a sample containing a narcotic such as cocaine.

By having the cap combining the function of closing the reservoir and mixing the sample with the liquid contained in the reservoir, devices of the present invention are compact and relatively inexpensive.

It is an advantage of devices according to embodiments of the present invention that they are user friendly.

It is an advantage of devices according to embodiments of the present invention that they are low-cost. This has the side-advantage that devices according to embodiments of the present invention can be consumables that do not need to be washed, thereby avoiding risk of contaminations from one analysis to the next.

It is an advantage of devices according to embodiments of the present invention that they are portable. Indeed, the devices according to embodiments of the present invention can be light and small enough to be effortlessly carried around by the user. For instance, in some embodiments, the device can measure from 3 to 30 cm and/or weights from 15 to 750 g, preferably from 5 to 20 cm and/or weights from 25 to 500 g.

It is an advantage of devices according to embodiments of the present invention that they can be used on-site. In particular, embodiments of the present invention can be used in unprotected environments that can be exposed to intense sunlight, high heat, freezing cold, high wind, rain, or an unstable ground (such as in a moving vehicle).

Particular and preferred aspects of the invention are set out in the accompanying independent and dependent claims. Features from the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims and with features of other dependent claims as appropriate and not merely as explicitly set out in the claims.

Although there has been constant improvement, change and evolution of devices in this field, the present concepts are believed to represent substantial new and novel improvements, including departures from prior practices, resulting in the provision of more efficient, stable and reliable devices of this nature.

The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

Figs. 1 , 2 and 3 are schematic representation of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention and of a motor for interacting therewith.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the device shown in Fig. 1 .

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing more details of a sampling unit present in embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 6 shows four different implementations of detection units in devices according to embodiments of the present invention.

In the different figures, the same reference signs refer to the same or analogous elements.

The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms first, second, third and the like in the description and in the claims, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either temporally, spatially, in ranking or in any other manner. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other sequences than described or illustrated herein.

Moreover, the terms top, bottom, and the like in the description and the claims are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in other orientations than described or illustrated herein.

It is to be noticed that the term “comprising”, used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to the means listed thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It is thus to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components as referred to, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or components, or groups thereof. The term “comprising” therefore covers the situation where only the stated features are present and the situation where these features and one or more other features are present. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device comprising means A and B” should not be interpreted as being limited to devices consisting only of components A and B. It means that with respect to the present invention, the only relevant components of the device are A and B.

Similarly, it is to be noticed that the term “coupled”, also used in the claims, should not be interpreted as being restricted to direct connections only. The terms “coupled” and “connected”, along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Thus, the scope of the expression “a device A coupled to a device B” should not be limited to devices or systems wherein an output of device A is directly connected to an input of device B. It means that there exists a path between an output of A and an input of B which may be a path including other devices or means. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are either in direct physical or electrical contact, or that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other but yet still co-operate or interact with each other.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, but may. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure, in one or more embodiments.

Similarly it should be appreciated that in the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

Furthermore, while some embodiments described herein include some but not other features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention, and form different embodiments, as would be understood by those in the art. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination. In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

The invention will now be described by a detailed description of several embodiments of the invention. It is clear that other embodiments of the invention can be configured according to the knowledge of persons skilled in the art without departing from the technical teaching of the invention, the invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

The present invention relates to a sample handling device comprising a housing containing: a. a reservoir for containing a liquid, the reservoir comprising an opening for rotatably coupling with a cap, b. the cap comprising: i. a coupling element for coupling the cap with a motor so that a rotational and translational movement can be given to the cap, ii. a first side adapted for rotatably coupling with the opening so that the reservoir can be closed in a liquid-tight manner, and iii. a second side, opposite to the first side, comprising a mixing implement, and c. a mixing chamber, fluidly connected with the reservoir when the reservoir is open, comprising an inlet for a sample, and wherein the housing comprises a first opening for permitting the coupling of the motor with the coupling element (e.g. by giving the motor access to the coupling element or to an intermediate element, such as a leadscrew, coupled to the coupling element), and a second opening for giving the sample access to the inlet.

The device of the present invention is suitable for handling both liquid and solid samples. The device of the present invention is useful for any sample that need to be mixed with a liquid prior to analysis. This includes samples susceptible of containing antibiotics or drug of abuses such a cocaine, amongst many others. The device of the present invention provides an easy procedure for mixing a predetermined amount of sample with a predetermined amount of liquid, with limited human intervention.

The device comprises a housing containing various elements of the device. The housing also protects the sample from environmental factors such as sunshine, wind, rain, cold, heat, etc...

The housing, and the elements it contains, can each independently be made of any material but are preferably made of a rigid material. A rigid material assures that the housing and each element contained therein perform their function in a reliable way. Also, the material used is preferably inert to the liquid used and to the type of sample analysed. Similarly, the material used is preferably not absorbing the liquid used or the sample analysed. More preferably, at least one and preferably all of the housing and of any elements contained therein may be made of a rigid plastic material. Plastic materials are usually light, cheap, and easy to shape. Yet more preferably, at least one and preferably all of the housing and of any elements contained therein may be made of a thermoplastic material. Thermoplastic materials are particularly easy to shape and can be easily produced in large numbers. In embodiments, at least a portion of the mixing chamber and at least a portion of the housing overlapping with said portion of the mixing chamber may be made of a material transparent to a range of wavelength suitable for optical detection (e.g. to allow Raman detection, e.g. in the near infrared). This has the advantage of allowing identification of analytes in the mixing chamber through the housing and said chamber without a need for removing the handled sample from the chamber. Yet more preferably, at least one and preferably all of the housing and of any elements contained therein may be made of a material which is transparent to a range of wavelength suitable for optical detection (e.g. to allow Raman detection in the near infrared). Most preferably, at least one and preferably all of the housing and of any elements contained therein may be made of polypropylene. Polypropylene has the advantage of being sufficiently transparent to near infra red radiations to allow identification by Raman of analytes in the mixing chamber through the housing and said mixing chamber. It is furthermore particularly cheap, easy to mass produce, can be sterilized for reuse, and can be recycled. It is furthermore inert to many liquids and in particular to electrolytes typically used in electrochemical detections.

The housing contains a reservoir. The reservoir is typically water-tight. It is in any case tight to the liquid it is meant to contain. It is meant to contain a liquid to be mixed with the sample. The reservoir has a predetermined volume.

It has an opening for rotatably coupling with a cap so that the reservoir can be closed in a liquid-tight manner.

In embodiments, the reservoir may comprise or contain means for allowing coupling of a motor with the coupling element. This is typically the case when, in use, the reservoir is situated between the motor and the cap. In embodiments, the reservoir may comprise an inner channel which inside is not in contact with the liquid in the reservoir when this liquid is present. This channel, when present, gives the motor access to the coupling element by providing a space in which the motor shaft can be inserted. This embodiment is not illustrated in the figures. In other embodiments, illustrated in the figures, the reservoir may contain a linkage, such as a leadscrew, for coupling the coupling element to the motor.

Typically, the motor does not form part of the device. This permits the device to be disposable and the motor to be reused. However, in embodiments, the motor may be part of the device. In embodiments, the motor comprises a shaft having a longitudinal axis around which the motor can rotate the shaft.

In embodiments, the reservoir may comprise a flange at a side opposite to the opening for rotatably coupling with the cap. The flange is advantageous as it allows blocking the reservoir in place in the housing. For instance, the housing may have a widening at the end comprising the first opening and the flange may fit in the widening but not in the rest of the housing, thereby preventing the reservoir from penetrating further in the housing.

The reservoir can be formed in one piece or can be formed of a plurality of pieces. For instance, it can be formed of the following pieces: a main body, which defines the volume of liquid that can be stored, an adaptor that can be attached to the main body, e.g. releasably attached to the main body, and a closing plate for closing the reservoir on the side opposite the adaptor. For instance, the adaptor can be releasably attached to the main body by rotatably mating therewith. The adaptor can have two opposite sides, one side for attaching to the main body of the reservoir and one side for coupling rotatably with the cap. The main body may be closed on one side by the combination of the adaptor and the cap, and on the other side by a combination of a linkage and a closing plate. The closing plate may have two sides, one side facing toward the reservoir and one side facing away from the reservoir. The closing plate may have two centrally located and communicating openings. The opening on the side facing toward the reservoir may be the larger of both openings. The opening on the side facing toward the reservoir may be adapted to fit with the linkage, by pressure fitting or otherwise, and to close that opening in a liquid- tight manner. The opening in the side facing away from the reservoir may be the smaller of both openings and may be adapted to give the motor access to the linkage.

As an example, when the linkage is a leadscrew, the leadscrew may have a tip for engaging with the coupling element and a drive recess for engaging with the motor shaft. The opening of the closing plate on the side facing toward the reservoir may be the larger of both openings and may be adapted to fit with the part of the leadscrew comprising the drive recess, by pressure fitting or otherwise, and to close that opening in a liquid-tight manner. The opening in the side facing away from the reservoir may be the smaller of both openings and may be adapted to give the shaft of the motor access to the drive recess of the leadscrew.

The closing plate may be attached or releasably attachable to the first opening of the housing. For instance, the widening in the housing may comprise a thread and the periphery of the closing plate may comprise a matching thread. In embodiments, when the closing plate is attached to the first opening of the housing, the closing plate comes in contact with the reservoir, and in particular with its flange, thereby closing the reservoir in a liquid-tight manner.

In embodiments, the reservoir may contain the liquid meant to be mixed with the sample. This is advantageous because by inserting the liquid in the reservoir during the assembly process of the product, the users do not have to handle it, which eliminates the risk of spill, contamination, and leaking. Having the liquid present in the reservoir makes the device more fool-proof, easier to use, and requiring less training or extensive manuals.

In embodiments, the liquid may be a suitable solvent for the sample. In embodiments, the liquid may be an electrolyte. The use of an electrolyte enables electrochemical analysis of the sample. The electrolyte may be a buffer.

The housing contains a cap.

Outside of the present invention, caps typically consist of a top surface, a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, and side walls protruding from the periphery of the bottom surface, thereby forming a hollow defined by the bottom surface and the sidewalls. When the cap is a screw cap, the internal surface of the sidewall typically comprises a thread. Such caps of the prior art can be described as having a first side and a second side. The first side is composed of the bottom surface and the side walls while the second side is composed of the top surface. In the case of a screw cap, for instance, the first side can be adapted for rotatably coupling with the opening of a reservoir so that a reservoir can be closed in a liquid-tight manner. The second side is typically flat.

Caps suitable for use in embodiments of the present invention are different from typical caps. They comprise a coupling element and the second side is not a flat top surface but instead comprises a mixing implement. They therefore typically comprise a top surface, a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, sidewalls protruding from the periphery of the bottom surface, thereby forming a hollow defined by the bottom surface and the sidewalls, a coupling element, and a mixing implement.

In embodiments of the present invention, the cap comprises at least a coupling element, a first side, and a second side. The coupling element is for coupling the cap with a motor so that a rotational and translational movement can be given to the cap. In embodiments, the coupling element may comprise a shaft. The shaft may comprise a drive recess for coupling with a tip rotatably driven by the motor.

In embodiments, the shaft of the coupling element is adapted to be coupled via the first opening with the shaft of the motor either directly or indirectly via a leadscrew.

Typically, the leadscrew is located in the reservoir. The coupling element may be part of the first side or of the second side. It is however preferred to have the coupling element belonging to the first side of the cap so that the first opening for permitting the coupling of the motor with the coupling element do not need to be on the same side of the device as the inlet for the sample, which would complicate the design of the device. Typically, the coupling element projects from the bottom surface of the cap. More preferably, the coupling element projects from the middle of the bottom surface of the cap. Most preferably, the coupling element comprises a shaft projecting from the middle of the bottom surface of the cap.

In embodiments of the present invention, the first side of the cap is adapted for rotatably coupling with the opening of the reservoir so that the reservoir can be closed in a liquid-tight manner. For this purpose, in embodiments, the first side of the cap may comprise a hollow with an internal female thread matching an external male thread present at the opening of the reservoir. Of course, the first side of the cap can be adapted for rotatably coupling with the opening of the reservoir by other means, such as for instance by having lugs for mating with a thread present at the opening of the reservoir.

In embodiments, the housing has an inner wall comprising a path for guiding the rotational and translational movement of the cap while the cap is adapted to be guided by said path. The path is typically a helical crest protruding from the inner wall of the housing instead of being a groove engraved in it. The reason for this is that it permits the cap to keep rotating, instead of blocking, once the path runs out. This extends the mixing time and hence the efficiency of the mixing. In embodiments, the path may extend in the inner wall for only part of the length thereof in such a way that an essentially rotational movement can follow the rotational and translational movement after an opening of the reservoir. In other words, the inner wall of the housing may have a threaded section, comprising the path, in which the cap is translating and rotating due to the action of the motor and the presence of the path, and a smooth runout section in which, after opening of the reservoir, the cap is only rotating due to the action of the motor and the absence of path in this section. Expressed still differently, the motor is responsible for the rotational movement of the cap, while the path ensures that a translational movement adds to said rotational movement so that the cap can be decoupled from the reservoir by advancing some distance in the housing, thereby opening the container and releasing the liquid. The rotational movement assists in this decoupling and ensures the mixing of the sample with the liquid.

In embodiments, the adaptations of the cap so that it can be guided by said path may comprise protrusions extending perpendicularly from the sidewalls of the cap. These protrusions preferably are oriented so that their length is parallel to the helical crest forming the path. These protrusions preferably have a height which is at most equal to the height of the crest forming the path. According to the herein defined first and second sides of the cap, these adaptations are on the first side of the cap.

The second side of the cap, opposite to the first side, comprises a mixing implement. Any type of implement suitable for mixing upon rotation around the rotation axis of the cap can be used. The mixing implement is typically attached to the top surface of the cap. The mixing implement typically protrudes from the top surface of the cap. The mixing implement mixes the liquid with the sample upon rotational uncoupling of the cap and the reservoir.

In embodiments, the mixing implement may comprise fins projecting from the second side of the cap. These fins are typically perpendicular to the top surface of the cap. In embodiments, the fins may be distributed evenly around a rotational axis of the cap. In embodiments, each fin has a longitudinal axis pointing toward the rotational axis of the cap. In some embodiments, each fin may have a height increasing, along its longitudinal axis, toward the rotational axis of the cap. In other words, each fin may have a larger height closer to the center of the cap than farther therefrom.

The housing contains a mixing chamber, fluidly connected with the reservoir when the reservoir is open, comprising an inlet for a sample. In embodiments, the mixing chamber is a chamber comprised in the housing. This chamber may form an integral part with the housing.

The housing comprises a first opening for permitting the coupling of the motor with the coupling element, and a second opening for giving the sample access to the inlet. It is to be noted that once the sample and the liquid have been mixed, the inlet can serve as an outlet for removing the mixture, e.g. with a syringe. Once removed, the mixture can be analyzed by any suitable means.

In embodiments, the sample handling device may further comprise a sampling unit adapted for introducing the sample in the mixing chamber through the second opening and the inlet.

In embodiments, the sampling unit may comprise a cavity for collecting the sample.

In embodiments, the cavity may have a volume of from 0.5 to 10 pi. Such a volume is typically adapted to a reasonable volume for the reservoir so that a proper ratio liquid (from the reservoir)/sample (which can be a solid or a liquid) can be obtained for most analytical techniques. In embodiments, the reservoir may have a volume 500 to 4000 times, preferably from 1000 to 3000 times, yet more preferably from 1500 to 2500 times the volume of the cavity. For instance, for the preparation of a sample for electrochemical analysis of cocaine in a sample, a volume from 1500 to 2500 times the volume of the cavity is preferred. For instance, 1 mg of sample for 2 ml electrolyte or 5 mg of sample for 10 ml electrolyte. In embodiments, the reservoir may have a volume of from 0.25 ml to 40 ml, preferably from 0.5 ml to 20 ml, yet more preferably from 1 ml to 15 ml.

The cavity of the sampling unit is typically at the tip of a shaft. A portion of the shaft comprising the cavity preferably has a triangular vertical cross- section for a cross-section taken perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the shaft. In embodiments where the tip of the shaft is triangular, two out of the three edges running along the shaft from the tip on may have the same length while the remain edge running along the shaft from the tip on may be shorter than the other two. This gives the tip a triangular bevel shape. The shorter the remaining edge is compared with the other two, the larger the bevel angle.

A portion of the shaft may be hollow from the tip on, thereby defining the cavity.

In embodiments, the sampling unit may be releasably attachable to the second opening.

In embodiments, the sampling unit and the second opening may be mutually adapted for rotatably coupling with each other. In embodiments, the sampling unit and the second opening are mutually adapted for rotatably coupling with each other in such a way that a rotational coupling can only occur when the cavity is in the mixing chamber and has completely passed the inlet. This has the advantage of enabling introducing the sample straight in the mixing chamber, thereby preventing spilling thereof; only when the sample has passed the inlet, and in the mixing chamber, can the sampling unit rotate, thereby possibly discharging its content in the mixing chamber.

In embodiments, during the essentially rotational movement, the mixing implement surrounds the cavity without touching it. This has the advantage that the mixing is not prevented by the presence of the sampling unit. This has also the advantage that if any sample remains in the cavity after the rotational coupling of the sampling unit and the second opening, this remaining sample is ideally surrounded by the mixing implement to be efficiently mixed with the liquid from the reservoir.

In embodiments, the housing may comprise a protrusion which is adapted to interact with the cavity in order to remove an excess sample collected therein. This protrusion protrudes from an external wall of the housing. In the case of a cavity present in a triangular bevel shaped tip, the protrusion may have one face protruding at an angle from the external wall of the housing which is larger than 90°. Preferably, this angle may be equal to the bevel angle to allow for more efficient removal of an excess sample.

In embodiments, the sample handling device may further comprise a detection unit adapted for allowing the detection of the presence of an analyte in the sample in the mixing chamber.

In embodiments, the detection unit may consist of the at least a portion of the mixing chamber and the at least a portion of the housing overlapping with said portion of the mixing chamber that is made of a material transparent to a range of wavelength suitable for optical detection (e.g. to allow Raman detection).

In other embodiments, the detection unit may be an electrochemical detection unit. For instance, the detection unit may comprise electrodes (e.g. a reference electrode, a working electrode, and a counter electrode) exposed to the inside of the mixing chamber. For this purpose, screen-printed electrodes, or electrodes directly integrated into the mixing chamber may be used. The electrodes are directly electrically connectable to a potentiostat. For instance, the electrodes can be electrically connected or connectable to a potentiostat by means of a physical connection with a conducting material. In some embodiments, the potentiostat may be part of the device but typically, it is not part of the device so that the device remains cheap to discard.

In embodiments, the detection unit may comprise a valve through the housing and the mixing chamber for allowing a mixture formed of the sample and the liquid to be transferred to an external detection apparatus such as a gas chromatograph or a mass spectrometer.

In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a cap comprising: i. a coupling element for coupling the cap with a motor so that a rotational and translational movement can be given to the cap, ii. a first side adapted for rotatably coupling with an opening of a reservoir so that the reservoir can be closed in a liquid-tight manner, and iii. a second side, opposite to the first side, comprising a mixing implement.

Any feature of the second aspect may be as correspondingly described for the first aspect. In particular, any feature of the cap according to the first aspect can be a feature of the cap according to the second aspect.

In a third aspect, the present invention relates to the sample handling device of any embodiment of the first aspect for handling a sample containing a narcotic such as cocaine.

Any feature of the third aspect may be as correspondingly described for the first aspect. In particular, any feature of the device according to the first aspect can be a feature of the device according to the third aspect.

The above and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. This description is given for the sake of example only, without limiting the scope of the invention. The reference figures quoted below refer to the attached drawings.

We now refer to Fig. 1 which shows on the right side a device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention and on the left side a motor (200) for use with the device of the present invention. In some embodiments, the motor can be considered as forming part of the device. In some embodiments, the motor can be attached to the device. In preferred embodiments, however, the motor is an entity separated from the device, and the device is adapted to be driven by the motor to open the reservoir (3) and to mix the sample with the liquid. The device of Fig. 1 is shown to comprise a housing (1) containing a reservoir (3) for containing a liquid, the reservoir comprising an opening (not visible in Fig. 1) for rotatably coupling with a cap (9). The reservoir is composed of a main body (3a), an adaptor (3b), and a closing plate (3c). The reservoir further contains a leadscrew (8, see Fig. 2). The leadscrew has a tip (19, see Fig. 4) for engaging with the coupling element and a drive recess (hidden in Fig. 4) for engaging with the motor shaft (7).

The adaptor is screwed to the main body and the cap is rotatably coupled to the adaptor.

The main body is closed on one side by the combination of the adaptor and the cap, and on the other side by a combination of the leadscrew and the closing plate. The closing plate has two sides, one side facing toward the reservoir and one side facing away from the reservoir. The closing plate has two centrally located and communicating openings. The opening on the side facing toward the reservoir is the larger of both openings. The opening on the side facing toward the reservoir is adapted to pressure fit with the leadscrew and to close that opening in a liquid-tight manner. The opening (17) in the side facing away from the reservoir, is the smaller of both openings and is adapted to give the motor access to the drive recess of the leadscrew.

The closing plate may be attached or releasably attachable to the first opening of the housing. For instance, the widening in the housing may comprise a thread and the periphery of the closing plate may comprise a matching thread. In embodiments, when the closing plate is attached to the first opening of the housing, the closing plate comes in contact with the reservoir, and in particular with its flange, thereby closing the reservoir in a liquid-tight manner.

The closing plate abuts the left side of the main body to close it while leaving a central opening for giving access to the motor. The cap has a coupling element which is not visible in Fig. 1 and is best visible from Fig. 2. The cap has a first side which is adapted for rotatably coupling with the opening of the adapter so that the reservoir can be closed in a liquid-tight manner. The cap is shown to have protrusions (4) extending perpendicularly from the sidewalls (12) of the cap. The sidewalls form part of a first side of the cap. On a second side of the cap, a mixing implement (11) is visible. The mixing implement is attached to the top surface of the cap. The top surface (13) is better visible in Fig. 2. The mixing implement typically protrudes from the top surface of the cap. The mixing implement comprises fins (11 ) projecting from the second side of the cap. These fins are perpendicular to the top surface of the cap. They are distributed evenly around a rotational axis of the cap. Each fin has a longitudinal axis pointing toward the rotational axis of the cap. A mixing chamber (14) is shown which is fluidly connected with the reservoir when the reservoir is open. The mixing chamber comprises an inlet (15) for a sample. The sample handling device of Fig. 1 comprises a sampling unit (2) adapted for introducing the sample in the mixing chamber through second opening (16) and the inlet. The sampling unit is best seen in Fig. 5. It comprises a cavity (5) for collecting the sample. The cavity of the sampling unit is at the tip of a shaft (20). A portion of the shaft comprising the cavity has a triangular vertical cross-section for a cross-section taken perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the shaft. Two out of the three edges running along the shaft from the tip on have the same length while the remaining edge running along the shaft from the tip on is shorter than the other two. This gives the tip a triangular bevel shape. The shorter the remaining edge is compared with the other two, the larger the bevel angle (a). A portion of the shaft is hollow from the tip on, thereby defining the cavity. Going back to Fig. 1 , the sampling unit is releasably attachable to the second opening. The sampling unit and the second opening are mutually adapted for rotatably coupling with each other. More in particular, the sampling unit is screwed into the second opening of the housing. In embodiments, the sampling unit and the second opening are mutually adapted for rotatably coupling with each other in such a way that a rotational coupling can only occur when the cavity is in the mixing chamber and has completely passed the inlet. This has the advantage of enabling introducing the sample straight in the mixing chamber, thereby preventing spilling thereof; only when the sample has passed the inlet and is in the mixing chamber, can the sampling unit rotate, thereby possibly discharging its content in the mixing chamber.

In embodiments, during the essentially rotational movement of the cap, the mixing implement surrounds the cavity without touching it. This is depicted in Figs. 2 and 3. This has the advantage that the mixing is not prevented by the presence of the sampling unit. This has also the advantage that if any sample remains in the cavity after the rotational coupling of the sampling unit and the second opening, this remaining sample is ideally surrounded by the mixing implement to be efficiently mixed with the liquid from the reservoir. On the left of Fig. 1 , the motor is depicted with a shaft 7. On the left side of the housing, an opening in the closing plate is visible. This opening permits the coupling of the motor with the coupling element.

The housing comprises a protrusion (6) which is adapted to interact with the cavity of the sampling unit in order to remove an excess sample collected therein. This protrusion protrudes from an external wall of the housing. In the case of a cavity present in a triangular bevel shaped tip, the protrusion may have one face protruding at an angle from the external wall of the housing which is larger than 90°. Preferably, this angle may be equal to the bevel angle of the tip of the sampling unit to allow for more efficient removal of an excess sample.

We now refer to Fig. 2. In this figure, one can see that the motor is coupled to the cap by the intermediate of a leadscrew (8). The motor is directly connected to the leadscrew and the leadscrew is directly connected to the coupling element of the cap. Also visible in this figure is a path (10) protruding from the inner wall of the housing. The path extends in the inner wall for only part of the length thereof in such a way that an essentially rotational movement can follow the rotational and translational movement after an opening of the reservoir. Fig. 3 shows the device of Fig. 2 in the same configuration but with an opaque reservoir.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the device of Figs 1 to 3. From left to right one can see the closing plate, the leadscrew, the main body of the reservoir, the adapter, the cap, the housing, and the sampling unit.

Fig. 6 show four implementations of a detector unit (10). Fig. 6(a) is an electrochemical detection unit comprising a screen-printed electrode. Fig. 6(b) is an electrochemical detection unit comprising integrated electrodes. Three electrodes can be observed: the working electrode, the reference electrode, and the counter electrode., Fig. 6(d) shows a transparent window in the housing to allow for optical or colorimetric detection. Fig. 6(c) shows a valve for connecting (e.g. via a tube) to an external analytical tool such as a gas chromatography or a mass spectrometer.

To operate the device (100) of Figs. 1-5, the user unscrews the sampling unit (2), overfills the cavity (5) of the sampling unit (2) with a sample. This sample can be a liquid or a solid. The user then removes the excess sample overfilling the cavity (5) by sliding the cavity (5) along the protrusion (6). The user then introduces the sample through the second opening (16) of the housing (1 ) and the inlet (15) of the mixing chamber (14). Then the user screws the sampling unit (2) to the housing (1 ), thereby discharging all or part of the sample in the mixing chamber (14). The user then couples the shaft (7) of the motor (200) to the coupling element (18) of the cap (9) via the leadscrew (8). When actioning the motor (200), the cap (9) rotates and, guided by the guides (10) on the inside wall of the housing (1 ), translates away from the reservoir (2), thereby opening the reservoir (3) and discharging its liquid content in the mixing chamber (14). Simultaneously, the rotation of the cap (9), due to the presence of the mixing implement (11 ) on the second side thereof, mixes the sample with the liquid. The mixture can then be analyzed by one of several ways. One possible way is simply to remove the sampling unit (2) and to use a syringe to remove some mixture from the second opening (16) of the housing. This method, however, involves removing and transferring the sample manually, which involves a risk of sample contamination or spilling. Flereafter are some preferred ways. One of such ways, if the device (100) is in a plastic transparent to some electromagnetic radiation, is to directly analyze the sample through the housing (1) and the mixing chamber (14) by an optical technique such as Raman. Yet another possible way, if the device (100) has a window (10) as depicted in Fig. 6(d), is to use that window (10) to analyse the mixture by an optical technique. Yet another possible way, if the device (100) has electrodes (10) exposed to the mixing chamber as depicted in Figs. 6(a) and 6(b), is to effectuate an electrochemical analysis of the sample. For instance, a potentiostat can be carried by the user (for instance in a pocket attached to his belt), and the electrodes can be connected to the potentiostat. Yet another possible way, if the device (100) has a valve (10) as depicted in Fig. 6(c), is to transfer a part of the mixture to an external analytical tool such as a gas chromatograph or a mass spectrometer via a tube linking the external analytical tool and the valve (10).

It is to be understood that although preferred embodiments, specific constructions, and configurations, as well as materials, have been discussed herein for devices according to the present invention, various changes or modifications in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope of this invention.