Rotating flask culture apparatus

Claim 2

The rotating flask culture apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flask stopper bearing means includes bearing surface means of even surface adjacent said flask stopper means about at least part of its circumference, said bearing surface means supporting said flask stopper means and the neck of the culture flask into which said stopper means is inserted above the surface of said apparatus base means, said flask stopper bearing means having a retainer means comprising a retainer flange portion abutting and bearing on said flask stopper means, spring means interposed between said flange portion and said flask neck mounting means, said spring means impelling said flange portion against said flask stopper means, said flange portion thereby exerting a force parallel to the central axis of said flask stopper means on said flask stopper means, said force being effective to maintain said stopper means in the mouth of said culture flask, and to maintain said culture flask in a position above the surface of said apparatus base means.

Claim 3

The rotating flask culture apparatus of claIm 1 wherein said flask stopper means includes a plug of impervious, compressible, corrosion-resistant material having a bottom portion for inserting into said culture flask mouth, a top cylindrical portion which rests in bearing on said bearing surface means of said bearing means, a flange portion abutting said retainer means of said flask stopper bearing means, and a side portion, said bottom portion being slightly smaller in dimension than the mouth of said culture flask, but having a ring means imbedded slightly inside its circumference causing an outwardly projecting lip to bear upon the inside surface of said culture flask mouth, thereby providing a pressure seal, said side portion of said flask stopper means being tapered inward toward its middle from both the bottom portion and the flange portion of said flask stopper means such that the rim of the mouth of said culture flask bears upon an outwardly projecting surface of said side portion at an acute angle, said rim moving with respect to said outwardly projecting surface of said side portion of said stopper means when said culture flask is rotated.

Claim 4

The rotating flask culture apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flask bottom mounting means comprises a vertical flange member attached at its lower portion to said apparatus base means and having in its upper portion openings disposed to accept said rotational drive means.

Claim 5

The rotating flask culture apparatus of claim 1 wherein said rotational drive means includes drive motor means connected by belt means to sprocket means mounted for rotation on axes disposed through openings in the upper portion of said flask bottom mounting means, said power drive motor means causing said sprocket means to be rotated on said axes, said axes of said sprocket means being fixed to drive wheel means on the opposite side of said flask bottom mounting means, said drive wheel means being held in fixed relationship to said sprocket means thereby and being rotatable with said sprocket means on said axes, said drive wheel means being insertable into a recess in the bottom of said culture flasks, said recess having substantially similar dimensions to that of said drive wheel means and accommodating said drive wheel means therein, said drive wheel means engaging the bottom of said culture flasks by non-skid means disposed about the circumference of said drive wheel means, said drive wheel means holding said culture flasks in fixed relationship thereby, said culture flasks being rotated by said drive wheel means as said drive wheel means rotates on said axes in conjunction with said sprocket means being rotated by said belt means driven by said drive motor means.

Claim 6

In rotating flask culture apparatus adapted for the cultivation and investigation of cell and virus growth for the production of vaccines, hormones and antigens on flask walls, the improvement comprising, spring impelled flask stopper bearing means mounted on flask neck mounting means, said flask stopper bearing means means having a flat bearing surface means in contact with a cylindrical top portion of a flask stopper means said flat bearing surface means thereby supporting the neck portion of said culture flask above the apparatus base means at a point perpendicular to the central axis of said flask stopper means while precluding rotation of said flask stopper means with respect to said flask stopper bearing means, the bottom portion of said flask stopper means being disposed in the mouth of said culture flask, and having a lip created by a ring means disposed about the circumference of said flask stopper means, said lip bearing against the inside surface of said flask mouth about its entire circumference thereby creating a hermetic seal within said flask mouth, said culture flask being supported at its bottom end by a drive wheel means insertable into a recess in the bottom of said culture flask, said drive wheel means engaging the bottom of said culture flask by non-skid means disposed about the circumference of said drIve wheel means, said drive wheel means supported above said apparatus base means by a flask bottom mounting means, said drive wheel means rotatable on an axis disposed through said flask bottom mounting means and connected to sprocket means on the opposite side of said flask bottom mounting means, said sprocket means being rotated by belt means driven by drive motor means, said drive wheel means thereby imparting rotation to said culture flask, causing said culture flask supported above said base means at its neck and its bottom to rotate about the central axis of said flask stopper means.

Claim 7

The improvement defined in claim 7 wherein said flask stopper bearing means includes flat bearing surface means adjacent said flask stopper means about at least a part of its circumference, said flat bearing surface means supporting said flask stopper means and the neck of the culture flask into which said stopper means is inserted above the surface of said apparatus base means, and maintaining said flask stopper means in fixed position with respect to said flask stopper bearing means, said flask stopper bearing means having retainer means comprising a retainer flange portion abutting and bearing on a flange portion of said flask stopper means exterior to the mouth of said culture flask, spring means interposed between said retainer flange portion and said flask neck mounting means, said spring means impelling said retainer flange portion against said flange portion of said flask stopper means, said retainer flange portion thereby exerting a force parallel to the central axis of said flask stopper means on said flask stopper means, said force being effective to maintain said stopper means in the mouth of said culture flask, and to maintain said culture flask in a position above the surface of said apparatus base means.

Claim 8

In a rotating flask culture apparatus adapted for the cultivation and investigation of cell and virus growth for the production of vaccines, hormones and antigens on flask walls, the combination including: Vertical neck mounting means and vertical bottom mounting means supporting culture flasks above the surface of the apparatus base means; Flask stopper bearing means mounted on said vertical neck mounting means and having flat bearing surface means supporting flask stopper means about at least a part of its circumference and maintaining said flask stopper means in a fixed relationship with respect to said flask stopper bearing means, and spring impelled retainer means abutting said flask stopper means exterior to said culture flask and holding said culture flask parallel to said apparatus base means, while urging said culture flask toward said vertical bottom mounting means, said flask stopper means having a ring means imbedded about the circumference of its interior portion disposed within said culture flask mouth, said ring means impelling a circumferential lip portion of said flask stopper means against the inside mouth of said culture flask to create a hermetic seal; drive wheel means mounted on said bottom mounting means and insertable into a recess in the bottom of said culture flask, said drive wheel means engaging said culture flask by a non-skid surface means disposed about the circumference of said drive wheel means said drive wheel means rotatable on an axis disposed through said bottom mounting means and connected to sprocket means, said drive wheel means thereby rotating said culture flask while supporting the bottom of said flask above said apparatus base means.

Claim 9

A rotating flask culture apparatus adapted for the cultivation and investigation of cell and virus growth for the production of vaccines, hormones and antigens on flask walls comprising at least one culture flask supported only at its opposite ends above the base means of said apparatus, rotating means rotatable about a central axis and supporting said culture flask at one end thereof and capable of imparting a rotation to said culture flask, stationary moUnting means supporting said culture flask above said base means at the opposite end thereof and allowing rotation of said culture flask with respect thereto, perfusion means allowing the passage of fluid into or out of said culture flask, and environmental enclosure means allowing said culture flask to be surrounded by circulating fluid of uniform temperature thereby effectively maintaining a controlled environment about said culture flask.

Claim 10

The rotating flask culture apparatus of claim 10 wherein said stationary mounting means includes a vertical flange member attached at its bottom to said base means.

Claim 11

The rotating flask culture apparatus of claim 11 wherein said vertical flange member is located at the neck and mouth end of said culture flask and includes top openings disposed therein to accept flask stopper bearing means for mounting thereon and to maintain said flask stopper bearing means in fixed relationship thereto, said flask stopper bearing means supporting in bearing a flask stopper means insertable into said mouth and neck of said culture flask.

Claim 12

The rotating culture flask apparatus of claim 10 wherein said rotating means rotatable about a central axis includes means for engaging said culture flask at one end thereof, said means mounted on a vertical flange member attached at its lower portion to said base means of said apparatus, said means connected to a drive motor means by which it is rotated about said central axis.

Claim 13

The rotating flask culture apparatus of claim 13 wherein said rotating means is located near the bottom end of said culture flask.

Claim 14

The rotating flask culture apparatus of claim 10 wherein said environmental enclosure means includes cover means disposed over the culture flask positioned on said apparatus, said cover means thereby defining an environmental chamber about said culture flask within which air of uniform temperature may be circulated about said culture flask by fan and vent means.

Claim 15

The rotating culture flask apparatus of claim 10 wherein said environmental enclosure means includes container means having said culture flask disposed therein and being capable of containing at uniform temperature a quantity of water for circulation about said culture flask.

Claim 16

The rotating culture flask apparatus of claim 10 having a culture flask constructed of a material suitable for the growing of cultures, said culture flask including a neck and mouth formed at one end thereof and a bottom formed at the opposite end, said bottom having recessed portion.

Claim 17

The rotating culture flask apparatus of claim 17 wherein said bottom of said culture flask has a recessed portion of sufficient dimension to receive said rotating means therein.