Support housing for sampling cones for a pipetting system

1. A casing ( 1 ) for supporting sampling cones for a pipetting system, the casing being intended to be stacked with other identical casings along a stacking direction ( 2 ), and comprising:

a support ( 10 ) provided with ports ( 12 ) for housing the sampling cones; and

first and second opposite flanks ( 14 a , 14 b ) integral with the support and through which a median imaginary plane (P) integrating the stacking direction ( 2 ) passes,

characterised in that each of the first and second opposite flanks ( 14 a , 14 b ) is equipped with a mating female member ( 18 ) as well as a mating male member ( 20 ) arranged substantially symmetrically on either side of said median imaginary plane (P), both mating female members ( 18 ) of the first and second opposite flanks ( 14 a , 14 b ) being arranged on a same side of the median imaginary plane (P) and both mating male members ( 20 ) of the first and second opposite flanks being arranged on the other side of the median imaginary plane (P),

and in that said mating male and female members ( 20 , 18 ) are designed such that when two identical supporting casings ( 1 ) are stacked along the stacking direction ( 2 ) with an upper casing and a lower casing both having their male members ( 20 ) on a same side of the median imaginary plane (P), the upper casing ( 1 ) assumes a laid position in which it is not retained by the lower casing ( 1 ) in the stacking direction, and also designed such that when the upper casing ( 1 ) and the lower casing ( 1 ) have their mating male members ( 20 ) respectively on either side of the median imaginary plane (P), the upper casing ( 1 ) assumes a retained position in which its two mating male members ( 20 ) respectively cooperate with both mating female members ( 18 ) of the lower casing ( 1 ).

2. The casing according to claim 1 , characterised in that each mating male member ( 20 ) comprises a tab pivotably mounted to its associated flank through a pivot joint ( 22 ) with an axis ( 23 ) substantially orthogonal to the stacking direction ( 2 ), the tab having on either side of the pivot joint ( 22 ) a gripping portion ( 30 ), as well as an anchoring portion ( 32 ) terminating with a notch ( 34 ).

3. The casing according to claim 2 , characterised in that said pivot joint ( 22 ) is made of two elastically torsionally deformable beads of material ( 26 ), both beads of material being aligned with each other along the axis ( 23 ) of the pivot joint.

4. The casing according to claim 2 characterised in that the gripping portion ( 30 ) upwardly projects beyond its associated flank ( 14 a , 14 b ), and in that said notch ( 34 ) is arranged substantially at a bottom end of this flank.

5. The casing according to claim 2 , characterised in that the female member ( 18 ) has in an upper part thereof a ramp ( 19 ) enabling, during a relative movement of the upper casing towards the lower casing in the stacking direction ( 2 ), its associated male member ( 20 ) to be pivoted about said pivot joint ( 22 ) by moving the notch ( 34 ) along the ramp ( 19 ), before the notch ( 34 ) is automatically inserted in the female member ( 18 ) after this notch has left said ramp.

6. The casing according to claim 5 , characterised in that said automatic insertion of the notch ( 34 ) in the mating female member ( 18 ) is made by pivoting the mating male member ( 20 ) caused by a release of energy previously stored by the pivot joint ( 22 ), during the movement of the notch ( 34 ) along the ramp ( 19 ).

7. The casing according to claim 1 , characterised in that each mating female member ( 18 ) is arranged substantially at a top end of its associated flank, in the proximity of a junction with the support ( 10 ) of sampling cones.

8. The casing according to claim 1 , characterised in that the support has 96 ports ( 12 ) for housing the sampling cones.

9. An assembly ( 100 ) comprising several identical casings ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , said casings ( 1 ) being stacked along the stacking direction ( 2 ), in the laid position or in the retained position.

10. The assembly according to claim 9 , characterised in that it includes a hollow bottom ( 4 ) arranged at the base of the stack of casings, said hollow bottom ( 4 ) comprising female members ( 18 ′) for mating with the casing ( 1 ) which is the lowermost in the stack.