Fluid containment for laboratory containers
View Patent ↗A culture dish assembly includes a polygonal culture dish with a bottom wall and a side wall enclosure formed by a plurality of generally planar panels joined consecutively to one another by non-planar corners. The side wall enclosure includes a generally planar top edge. Inner surface regions of a plurality of the planar panels are formed with a plurality of projections or recesses that are spaced from one another and spaced from the corners. A splash guard includes engagement flanges disposed for nesting with inner peripheral surface regions of the panels of the side wall enclosure. The engagement flanges include projections or recesses disposed for releasably engaging the projections or recesses on the side wall enclosure to hold the splash guard on the culture dish without creating stress concentrations in the corners.
1. A culture dish assembly comprising:
a culture dish having a polygonal bottom wall with an outer periphery and a side wall enclosure extending up from said bottom wall and having a top edge remote from said bottom wall, said side wall enclosure including a plurality of substantially planar panels and non-planar corners connecting adjacent panels, said side wall enclosure including a top edge spaced from said bottom wall, said side wall enclosure including a plurality of engagement structures formed on inwardly facing surface regions of said substantially planar panels at locations spaced from said non-planar corners, wherein said engagement structures comprise engagement structures formed on each of said planar panels of said side wall enclosure, wherein said engagement structures on said side wall enclosure are elongated and define a direction of elongation substantially parallel to said bottom wall of said culture dish, wherein said engagement structures on said side wall enclosure each are substantially rectangular, and, wherein said engagement structures on said side wall enclosure are projections that project inwardly relative to said side wall enclosure; and
a splash guard having a frame-shaped top wall engaged on said top edge of said side wall enclosure and engagement flanges extending down from said top wall and nesting with, and interiorly of, portions of said planar panels, said engagement flanges including engagement structures releasably engaged with said engagement structures on said planar panels.
2. The culture dish assembly of claim 1 , wherein said engagement structures on said splash guard are recesses dimensioned to closely engage said projections on said planar panels of said culture dish.
3. A culture dish assembly comprising:
a culture dish having a polygonal bottom wall with an outer periphery and a side wall enclosure extending up from said bottom wall and having a top edge remote from said bottom wall, said side wall enclosure including a plurality of substantially planar panels and non-planar corners connecting adjacent panels, said side wall enclosure including a top edge spaced from said bottom wall, said side wall enclosure including a plurality of engagement structures formed on inwardly facing surface regions of said substantially planar panels at locations spaced from said non-planar corners; and
a splash guard having a frame-shaped top wall engaged on said top edge of said side wall enclosure and engagement flanges extending down from said top wall and nesting with, and interiorly of, portions of said planar panels, said engagement flanges including engagement structures releasably engaged with said engagement structures on said planar panels, wherein said bottom wall of said culture dish defines a square with rounded corners.
4. A culture dish assembly comprising:
a culture dish having a polygonal bottom wall with an outer periphery and a side wall enclosure extending up from said bottom wall and having a top edge remote from said bottom wall, said side wall enclosure including a plurality of substantially planar panels and non-planar corners connecting adjacent panels, said side wall enclosure including a top edge spaced from said bottom wall, said side wall enclosure including a plurality of engagement structures formed on inwardly facing surface regions of said substantially planar panels at locations spaced from said non-planar corners; and
a splash guard having a frame-shaped top wall engaged on said top edge of said side wall enclosure and engagement flanges extending down from said top wall and nesting with, and interiorly of, portions of said planar panels, said engagement flanges including engagement structures releasably engaged with said engagement structures on said planar panels, wherein said top wall of said splash guard is substantially parallel to said bottom wall of said culture dish, and, wherein said top edge of said side wall enclosure defines an outer periphery, said top wall of said splash guard defining an outer periphery substantially registered with said outer periphery of said top edge of said side wall enclosure.
5. The culture dish assembly of claim 4 , wherein said top wall of said splash guard further includes an inner periphery and an inner peripheral lip extending down from said inner periphery of said top wall toward said bottom wall.
6. The splash guard assembly of claim 4 , wherein said top wall includes four corners, one of said corners being substantially concave for defining a pouring opening at said corner.
7. The culture dish assembly of claim 6 , wherein said side wall enclosure tapers outwardly from said bottom wall to said top edge.
8. The culture dish assembly of claim 7 , wherein said engagement flanges of said splash guard having outwardly facing surfaces that taper inwardly at further distances from said top wall of said splash guard.
9. A culture dish assembly comprising:
a culture dish having a polygonal bottom wall with an outer periphery and a side wall enclosure extending up from said bottom wall and having a top edge remote from said bottom wall, said side wall enclosure including a plurality of substantially planar panels and non-planar corners connecting adjacent panels, said side wall enclosure including a top edge spaced from said bottom wall, said side wall enclosure including a plurality of engagement structures formed on inwardly facing surface regions of said substantially planar panels at locations spaced from said non-planar corners; and
a splash guard having a frame-shaped top wall engaged on said top edge of said side wall enclosure and engagement flanges extending down from said top wall and nesting with, and interiorly of, portions of said planar panels, said engagement flanges including engagement structures releasably engaged with said engagement structures on said planar panels, wherein said frame-shaped top wall of said splash guard includes an inner periphery defining an opening for accessing said bottom wall of said culture dish, said culture dish assembly further comprising a cover removably mountable over said culture dish and said splash guard for at least substantially closing said opening defined by said inner periphery of said frame-shaped top wall of said splash guard.
10. The culture dish assembly of claim 9 , wherein said splash guard further includes a plurality of breathing lugs projecting up from said top wall of said splash guard to permit gas exchange between said culture dish and areas surrounding said culture dish.