US Patent 7252212 Long-term liquid storage and dispensing system

A liquid storage and dispensing system, and methods for its use in the storage, shipping, and accurate dispensing by manual or automated methods, of, for example, precious biologic samples such as protein, DNA or RNA, with minimal contamination, oxidation, and evaporation, the system having: an essentially cylindrical storage barrel with a flange at its open end and a port and delivery tip at the closed end; a piston with a seal, where the piston closely matches the shape of the closed end of the barrel to minimize dead volume; and a cover to seal the delivery tip during storage such as cryostorage.